Chivalry and its mythologies in the European Middle Ages (P01483)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : LLC-P-P01483

Instruction will take the form of ten two-hour seminars, mostly student led, analysing the problematics of the inscription of chivalry in literary and historiographical texts to provide both a synchronic view of the structures of the phenomenon and a diachronic view of its evolution from ca AD 1100 to ca AD 1500. It should enable students to develop an appreciation of the evolution of the institutions and culture of chivalric society across 400 years, encouraging them to compare different types of literary and artistic source material and to relate these to social, political and religious history of the period.
The course takes as its main sources for study epic, romance and chronicle texts from Spain, France and England. It will look at the origins and development of knighthood in its relationship to feudalism, monarchy, the Church and other socio-political structures. It will investigate the ceremonials of chivalry (knighting, tournaments and jousts), the contribution of chivalry to the phenomenon of courtly love, and its relationship to mysticism and the crusading movement. The main focus of the course will be the complex relationships between history, society and text.
No previous study of the European Middle Ages is required, although previous study of some period of European literature and culture is desirable.

? Keywords : Middle Ages; Epic Romance; Chivalry; Knighthood

Entry Requirements

? Costs : Purchase of set texts

Subject Areas

Home subject area

European Languages and Cultures - Common Courses, (School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, Schedule G)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : Semester 2 (Blocks 3-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course students will be able to show an appreciation of the evolution of the institutions and culture of chivalric society across 400 years; the ability to compare different types of literary and artistic source material and to relate these to social, political and religious history of the period; the ability to develop personal perspectives on the primary material and to evolve sound critical judgements in the light of a broad range of secondary material drawn from diverse scholarly disciplines.