The Arthurian Legend

Catalog description

The growth and development of the legend of King Arthur, from medieval Europe to modern Japan. CMLIT 106 The Arthurian Legend (3) (GH;IL)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. This course is designed to familiarize students with the legends about and surrounding King Arthur and the Round Table fellowship. Through a series of readings, students will survey the development of the legends of Arthur from their beginnings in early medieval Europe to their modern adaptations in many cultures around the world. The Arthurian legend is an ideal vehicle for showing the ways in which literary works capture and express changing value systems in different cultural and historical situations, and thus the course is a good example of comparative (international) approaches to literary study. Classes will discuss the changing cultural' ideals represented, the different characterizations of the central figures, and the literary, techniques employed. Lectures and discussions will be supplemented by overheads, slides, music, and films or film clips dealing with Arthurian themes. Throughout, the course will ask why and how the stories of Arthur and the Round Table fellowship have captured the imagination of artists, political and religious leaders, and readers throughout the ages and around the world. Finally, it will ask how the practical concerns of daily life are developed in this literature-for example, how does this highly imaginative literature address practical concerns such as striking a balance between one's short-term goals and personal gratifications, and one's long-range obligations to other people? Means of evaluation will be selected from the following (always including writing): essay exam questions, short answer and objective questions, reading journals, quizzes, in-class discussion, group projects (including web sites), research and critical papers, and final comprehensive written exam. CMLIT 106 is not required for the Comparative Literature major but may be selected to fulfill one of the course requirements for the major or the World Literature Minor. This course also fulfills the General Education Humanities requirement, the Bachelor of Arts Humanities requirement, and the IL requirement.