This course introduces students to the literary tradition surrounding King Arthur, from the early medieval period to the twentieth century, focusing on the tradition within Great Britain. The course will follow the Arthurian myth, its stories and its characters, as they evolve through time in different contexts, and through different genres, from early romances to twentieth-century musical drama. Special attention will be paid to notions of kingship, nation, and gender as represented within Arthurian literature.
Readings
- Geoffrey of Monmouth, History of the Kings of Britain, ed. Michael Faletra
(Broadview) (available online as a PDF through the publisher at ) - Sir Thomas Malory, Morte Darthur, ed. Helen Cooper (Oxford)
- Alfred Lord Tennyson, Idylls of the King (Penguin)
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Broadview available online through the publisher at )
- T. H. White, The Once and Future King (Harper Collins)
- Marian Zimmer Bradley, The Mists of Avalon
Online through course website:
- Marie de France, Lanval
- The Cambridge Companion to Arthurian Legends, “Introduction,” “The Early Arthur, History and Myth”
- The Mabinogion “Culhwch and Olwen”
- Tennyson, “The Lady of Shalott”
- Selected poems by Edwin Muir, Thom Gunn, Geoffrey Hill and Richard Wilbur
- Lerner and Loewe, Camelot (musical theatre production)
Recommended guides and companions to Arthurian literature:
- The Cambridge Companion to Arthurian Legends, ed. Elizabeth Archibold and Ad Putter
- A Companion to Arthurian Literature, ed. Helen Fulton
- The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend by Alan Lupack
Assessment
- Online Discussions (10%)
- Closed reading assignment(20%)
- Essay (35%)
- Take-Home Final Exam (35%)
**Subject to change**
Prerequisites
- Level 2 or above or 6.0 units of ENGL
