Syllabus
Each lesson except the numbers (1) and (12) will focus on some passages choosen from various Arthurian texts. The texts will be made available in Modern English translations (or, sometimes, in annotated Middle English versions). The list below may be enlarged or modified to suit students’ needs and tastes.
(1) General introduction. Goals, questions & clarifications. Assignment of papers.
(2) Sir Gawain and the world machine. Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia regum Britanniae.
(3) The knight behind the throne. Chrétien de Troyes’ Erec et Enide, Cligès, Chevalier au lion and Chevalier de la charrette.
(4) The knight leaves the court. Chrétien de Troyes’ Conte du graal.
(5) Sir Gawain the border guard. Middle Dutch Roman van Walewein.
(6) Sir Gawain as the betting knight. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
(7) Sir Gawain fighting for peace. Wace’s Brut, Old-Czech Tandariáš and Floribella
(8) The knight and the child. De ortu Walwanii, Suite de Merlin, Renaut de Beaujeu’s Le Bel Inconnu
(9) Being a nephew – Chanson de Roland, Tristan en prose
(10) The knight we laugh at. Old French Du chevalier à l’épée, Paiende Maisieres’ La demoiselle à la mule
(11) Questing for the end – La Quête du Saint Graal, La Mort du roi Arthur
(12) Conclusions. Final summary. Possibilities of future research. Discussion. Evaluation.
Annotation
Sir Gawain (Gauvain, Walewein, Voliván) is a rare creature among the Knights of the Round Table. He is the eldest son of King Arthur’s sister and as an heir apparent of the throne he is very strongly connected with the space of the court. Together with ambiguous Sir Kay (the Seneschal) Gawain represents a firm structure of the courtly sphere. During the celebrations that make up the living of King’s entourage, he sits beside the Queen Guinevere on the seat second only to the royal throne. The death of Gawain would signal the impending doom of Arthur’s kingdom, and yet he frequently leaves the safe sphere of whatever castle King Arthur resides in and goes on a quest in search for adventure. On top of that, he is often successful in his exploits, in contrast with rude Kay.
Ryan Harper assures us, that there are “more medieval romances devoted to Gawain's exploits than to those of any other of Arthur's knights, including Lancelot, Tristan, and Galahad” (see the entry on Gawain in http://d.lib.rochester.edu/camelot-project). Wherever there is Arthur’s court, there is a mention of him. In a certain sense, Gawain IS the court. He enacts the default knightly behavior when he strives for peace, helps the helpless and oppressed, but also when he struggles and eventually loses in a fight against his own desires. It seems that the ultimate quest for the Holy Grail poses a insurmountable challenge for this secular courtier.
Gawain’s omnipresence and versatility is the reason why we have chosen this knightly character as our guide through European courtly literature. He is almost everywhere, performing the role of the benchmark or backdrop knight. Against this backdrop we would perhaps see more clearly what the courtly texts want to show.
Erasmus Class: Exchange – 09.2 General and Comparative Literature
Undergraduate students are welcome, as the course will equip them with basic tools that can be used in dealing with medieval literature.