EWL 212 Dragons, Knights, and Damsels: The Middle Ages
Writers from J.R.R. Tolkein to Umberto Eco to George R.R. Martin have taken their inspiration from the images, beliefs, and mostly the texts of the Middle Ages (for our purposes of study, from roughly 1000 CE - 1500 CE). This class will look at the great monsters of Beowulf, the heroic knights of the Arthurian tradition, and the transforming werewolfs of Marie de France. We will read travel literature from real and imagined travels across the world and see how medieval people understood their place in that world. Along the way, we will learn the material culture of the time period by looking at manuscripts, the history of the book, and the place of art. This class includes trips to the Met and the Cloisters, as well as creative assignments concerning the texts, media, and materials of the Middle Ages.