Germanic Heroic and Medieval Literature in English Translation

Catalog description

In this course, students will become able to describe the complex cultural history of the German-speaking Middle Ages and its modern reception through analysis of literary and cultural production. The period between the Germanic migrations of the fourth century C.E. (Common Era) and the waning of the high Middle Ages around 1250 C.E. was shaped by a complex convergence of sociocultural, theological, and political forces. A shift from the agrarian society of early Germanic peoples with a minimal government structure, to the stratified socio-political system of the High Middle Ages is reflected in written documents and literary production of the time. Evolving and emerging value systems often clashed. For instance, knights were expected to be the warriors depicted in heroic epic and yet also to behave like the civilized courtiers of Arthurian Romance. Modern retellings of Arthurian and heroic stories are popular in modern film and literature. Newer scholarly approaches such as culture theory, gender studies, critical race theory, and post-colonial studies have expanded the available tools for analysis of Germanic medieval literature and culture. Students will examine historical documents, literary works, visual art, music, as well as secondary articles on history, culture, and literature and will discuss the complexity and diversity of this time period in German-speaking regions. Using modern tools of analysis, students will compare the medieval material with its reception in modern cultural production and will evaluate the relevance of medieval culture to modern society.