Myths and Legends of Ireland and Britain

Catalog description

This course studies the literature of early medieval cultures of Ireland and Great Britain, with special attention to Celtic culture. The course is divided into four parts, focusing on the Irish epic Táin Bó Cuailnge , the Welsh Mabinogion , the Latin Christian legends of Celtic saints, and the Old English epic Beowulf . Critical issues for discussion include: paganism and Christianity; conceptions of law, kinship, and nationhood; warrior culture and the idea of the hero; the status of art and poetry; orality and literacy; the natural and the supernatural; the construction of gender.