Twice-Told Tales

Medieval Stories in the Modern World

Dr. Houghton
1st Semester, 1998

Ever since the late 1700's, European artists have looked back to the Middle Ages for inspiration. This habit has had its ups and downs over the last two hundred years, but for the last forty or so, we have been on the up side of the cycle. Partly because of the great popularity of J.R.R. Tolkien in the '60's, there is a considerable medieval industry around us today--including several medieval movies just over the past years. The idea in this course is to look at medieval stories to which modern artists have returned in order to find materials for their own work. The big questions for us will be ones like these: Why does a modern writer reuse a medieval story? What advantage does the modern writer gain by doing so? How does the modern writer change the medieval story in the process of retelling it?

Much of the writing for the course will involve the method of comparison and contrast, either in its own right or as part of a larger argument. For that reason, you will need to keep notes in a notebook about what you read, so that you can come up with specific examples to use in your writing. Please don't undercut your chances of doing well by failing to lay this foundation. I will try to suggest writing topics for your notebooks as we go along, but you should at least make notes for yourself after each day's reading of what you read, what parts of it particularly caught your attention, and any technical devices you found memorable. At least one question on the final will ask you to draw from several of the works we have read. There will be also be a final paper involving some research, and note-keeping is, of course, a basic research skill.

Prize Speaking is an MICDS tradition, and much of the material we will be reading was meant to be memorized--much early poetry was written to be committed to memory, and of course playwrights expect their actors to learn the dialogue of their plays. You will have three memorization assignments over the course of the semester.

While this is basically an English class, all the literature we will read grows out of, and sometimes inspires, a larger cultural context. We will listen to various kinds of music during the semester, and will spend at least a little time in looking at medieval art and architecture. At some point in October or November, I hope that we will be able to hold a medieval banquet, as well.

Sections of this syllabus:

Reading Assignments

You will see that most of the reading assignments are relatively short: plan ahead for the ones which are not (especially Middle English poetry and The Once and Future King, which could be a disaster if you put it off to the last minute.) Have the assigned reading done by the beginning of class for the first day of the week assigned--it is a real disservice to everyone if someone comes to class unprepared. Expect quizzes over the reading. We will arrange mutually convenient times to watch four films : Olivier's Henry V, Branagh's Henry V, Excalibur and The Fisher King.

For the week of... Read the following by the first day of class (times in [ ] for 200 w.p.m.):

The Death of Arthur

Aug. 31    A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (summer reading)
Sep. 7       Labor Day
Sep. 8       Malory's sources.
                    For Tuesday, Sep. 8, at The Camelot Project,
                        Geoffrey of Monmouth, History of the Kings of Britain .
                        From the full text at this site, read only the following passages [40 min.]:
                            Bk. VIII, Chaps. XIX-XX;
                            Bk. IX, Chaps. 1-III, IX, XX;
                            Bk. X,  Chaps. I, VII-XIII;
                            Bk. XI, Chaps. I-II
                    For Wednesday, Sep. 9, at the TEAMS texts web site:
                       The Death of Arthur,  Introduction  by Larry Benson [15 min.]
                            The following poetry is in Middle English with many vocabulary notes--allow plenty of extra time:
                             The Stanzaic Morte Arthur, ll. 2770-3970 {Part III} [about 10,000 words]
                             The Alliterative Morte Arthur, ll. 3218-3455 {From Part IV}[about 2,500 words]
Sep. 10-11 [Dr. Houghton gone--video on Arthur]
Sep. 14     Morte d'Arthur, Books XX [1 h. 30 min.] & Book XXI [50 min.]
                [Paper #1 due Tuesday; First Prize Speaking Week]
Sep. 21     Tennyson, from Idylls of the King  [25 min.] Available from the Camelot Project web site:
                           " Dedication "
                           "The Passing of Arthur"
Sep. 28     Once & Future King, 517-639 [5 h.]  [Paper #2 in class on Friday]

Anglo-Saxon England

Oct. 5     Beowulf and "Introduction" in Hieatt, 3-81, xi-xxxviii [3 h. 15 min.]
Oct. 12    "The Battle of Maldon" in Hieatt, 109-116 [15 min.] and
                The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth in Tolkien, 3-27 [35 min.] [Paper # 3 due Tuesday]
Oct. 16-19 Mid-term break weekend
Oct. 20    Grendel [4 h.]
 

History and Drama

Oct. 26      Materials on Archbishop Thomas.
                  From the1913 Catholic Encyclopedia,  ST. THOMAS BECKET [15 min.]
                  From the Internet Medieval Sourcebook:
                     Peter of Blois: Description of Henry II    [10 min.]
                     Constitutions of Clarendon, 1164 [15 min.]
                     The Chronicle of "Benedict of Peterborough" The Murder of Thomas Becket   [10 min.]
                     Edward Grim’s Account of the Murder of Thomas Becket [10 min.]
                 [Paper #4  in class on Friday]
Nov. 2       Murder in the Cathedral [1 h. 30 m.]
Nov. 6       [Student holiday, Friday]
Nov. 10     [Paper #5 due Tuesday; Second Prize Speaking Week]
Nov. 16    At the web site Henry V - History, Literature, and Myth   [an M.A. thesis at Virginia Polytech]  read:
                        Introduction   and  The Historical Henry - The King Before the Play
                On reserve in McCulloch Library, read:  Allmand, Henry V, "Epilogue," 427-443
Nov. 23    Henry V [2 h. Read once for yourself; we will read sections again in class.]
Nov. 30    At  Henry V - History, Literature, and Myth  read:
                        Literature - Revival of a Long Dead Warrior and Myth - The Conscious Character
                 [Long-term paper due Tuesday, Dec. 1; Third Prize Speaking Week]
Dec. 8       Review
 

Top of page

Writing Assignments

Format and General Instructions

Your Name Here
Senior English
Dr. Houghton
Today's Date

Put a Title Here--and Don't Even Think About Underlining It

Write for a reader who has been quite familiar with the works involved, but hasn't read over them for a few years. Include reference to specific examples from the texts. Bear in mind that simply to name examples will not suffice: you must make clear to the reader what the examples prove. The discussion of these specific examples should lead to some more general conclusion: but, again, bear in mind that the conclusion must be specific enough to stem logically from the evidence. "Revenge was really important in Beowulf" would not quite be specific enough.

Read or reread Strunk and White, especially the early chapters and the section on usage. You need not expect that I will tolerate errors on these elementary points. Be particularly on the lookout for what Ms. Brownstein calls "easy fixes". Avoid:

  • forms of "to be" [linking and passive verbs]
  • forms of "to get" [a vague word for which you can substitute something more specific]
  • the use of verbs as nouns ["quote" versus "quotation"]

Use a word processor to prepare your paper, so that you can revise it; double space. Fasten the pages together with a paper clip. Hand in your rough drafts along with the final version of the paper.

Specific Assignments

Sept. 15, 1998
Twice-Told Tales
Paper 1

Malory's work is explicitly the source for Twain's version of the Arthurian story, and Twain's version is certainly a satire; in a well-organized formal essay, argue whether, or to what degree, Malory's work is a target or an instrument of the satire.


Oct. 2, 1998
Twice-Told Tales
Paper 2

An impromptu  in-class writing assignment.


Oct. 13, 1998
Twice-Told Tales
Paper 3

Write a well-organized formal essay, 3-5 pages in length, on one of the following two topics:

A. Discuss the role of vengeance in Beowulf.

As you think about your essay, consider the following questions: Who attempts to exact revenge, and for what? Which quests for vengeance are successful? Is any pattern to be found in the various cases of revenge? Is there some sort of development over the course of the three major parts of the story [Grendel-Grendel's Mother-Dragon], or is there perhaps a contrast between the role of vengeance in the main plot [Beowulf's adventures] and its role in the other stories to which the poet alludes [Finn and Hengest, Ingeld and Freawaru, Ohthere-Onela-Eanmund- Eadgils]?

B. Does the Beowulf-poet succeed in combining the Christian and pagan elements of his story? Discuss.

Beowulf is set at a time before the Germanic tribes had been converted to Christianity, and the monsters and folk-tales which its author uses were certainly originally parts of pagan culture. On the other hand, the poet who tells us this version of the story is equally clearly a Christian, and has tried to fit the original materials into a Christian view of the world [e.g., by making Grendel a descendant of Cain]. To answer this question, you will have to sort out specifically Christian and specifically pagan parts of the poem, identify what the poet has done to try to fit those things together, and then finally judge, on some logical basis tied to the evidence, whether the poet has actually managed to hold everything together in his new creation.

Oct. 30, 1998
Twice Told Tales
Paper 4

We have indicated in class some of the reasons why modern authors return to medieval texts--because they find a precedent in the medieval text for modern events, because they admire the literary qualities of the medieval text (e.g., the alliteration or the kennings), because they see the medieval situation as a contrast to the modern world. In a clearly organized formal essay, show how the use of a medieval text helps Gardner or Tolkien to make his point (obviously, this will require you to decide, and show, what the author's point is).  For extra credit (1/3 of a letter grade), you might try to answer the preceding question for both Gardner and Tolkien.

You may bring notes for your essay with you to class, but they should be notes, not a rough draft of the text.

Nov. 11, 1997
Twice-Told Tales
Paper 5

Many features of Murder in the Cathedral are deliberately archaic--the use of the Chorus is only one example: yet at the end of the play, Eliot becomes radically modern--not only in "breaking the fourth wall" of the stage, but in the actual content of the Knights' speeches. In a clearly-organized formal paper, discuss what advantages Eliot may have intended to derive from this sudden modernism, and whether the technique is successful.

Dec. 1, 1997
Twice-Told Tales
Long term paper assignment

Write a well-organized formal paper, between five and seven pages long, on one of the following topics--or suggest a topic of equivalent difficulty.

1. Watch Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, Braveheart, or First Knight, and then read reviews of the film. Do the movie makers seem to care about the "historical" accuracy of these films? Do the reviewers?

Or, try this same assignment with Jean Anouilh's Becket (you may read the play or watch the film, or both).

2. Look at Prof. Paul Halsall's "Medieval New York" web-site; prepare a similar report on "Medieval St. Louis."

Top of page

 

Speaking Assignments

You are required to commit to memory and recite in class three of the following, one in the week of Sep. 21, one in the week of Nov. 2, one in the week of Nov. 30:

  • A section from "The Passing of Arthur,"
    • "The sequel of today unsolders all...'Watch what thou seest, and lightly bring me word.'"
    • "Then went Sir Bedivere the second time...much fame were lost.'"
    • "And slowly answered Arthur...And on the mere the wailing died away."
  • A text related to the Anglo-Saxon period
    • Beowulf, lines 1-25
    • Beowulf, lines 3156-3182
    • The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth, Torthelm's dream ("There are candles in the dark...and dark conquer.")
  • A speech from Murder in the Cathedral
    • Part I, Thomas's last speech, "Now is my way clear..."
    • Interlude, The Archbishop's Sermon
    • Part II, Thomas's speech, "Unbar the door! / You think me reckless..."
    • Part II, The Fourth Knight, "The speakers who have preceded me..."
  • A speech from Henry V
    • Prologue, lines 1-34
    • I, ii, 260-298, "We are glad the Dauphin is so pleasant with us..."
    • III, i, 1-34, "Once more unto the breach, dear friends..."
    • III, iv, 1-57 (for two people with some knowledge of French)
    • IV, Chorus, 1-53, "Now entertain conjecture of a time..."
    • IV, i, 216-270, "Upon the king! Let us our lives, our souls..."
    • IV, iii, 18-67, "What's he that wishes so?"

Top of page

 

Other Materials

Multimedia CD-ROMs

  • The British Museum and Research Machines plc, The Anglo-Saxons: An Exploration of their Art, Literature and Way of Life, Woodland Hills, CA: Cambrix Publishing, n.d.
  • Karen Brookfield et al., for the British Library, Medieval Realms: Britain 1066 to 1500, Princeton: Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 1996.

Audio recordings

  • Arlo Guthrie, "Alice's Restaurant Massacree," Alice's Restaurant, Reprise, 1967. (cassette)
  • Schola Antiqua, R. John Blackley, Director, Tenth-Century Liturgical Chant in Proportional Rhythm, Nonesuch, 1978. (cassette)
    • Mass for Christmas Day
    • Mass for Easter Sunday
  • Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge, Mary Berry, Director, Christmas in Royal Anglo-Saxon Winchester: 10th-Century Chant from the Winchester Troper, Herald, 1992 (CD) [Mass for Christmas Day]
  • Choir of the Vienna Hofburgkapelle, Josef Schabasser, Director, Gregorian Chants for the Christmas Season, Vox, n.d. (casette)
  • Monastic Choir of the Benedictine Archabbey of St. Martin, Beuron, Fr. Dr. Maurus Pfaff, Director, Liturgia Paschalis, Archiv, 1958. (LP records)
    • Easter Vigil
    • Solemn Mass
    • Mass of the Lord's Resurrection
  • The Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos, Easter Chants, BMG, 1996. (CD) Assorted chants for Lent, Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost.
  • Monastic Choir of the Abbey of St. Peter of Solesmes, Dom Jean Claire, Director, Saint Benedict, Paraclete, 1985. (cassette)
    • Mass Proper to the Benedictine Order
    • Mass of the Ancient Common of Abbots
    • Mass of Saint Benedict
  • The Lay Clerks of Canterbury Cathedral, David Flood, Master of the Choristers, Gregorian Chant from Canterbury Cathedral for the Feast of St. Thomas of Canterbury, Metronome, 1994. (CD)
    • Mass for the Feast of St. Thomas of Canterbury
    • St. Dunstan's Kyrie
    • The Office of Matins for St. Thomas of Canterbury
  • The Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos, The Soul of Chant, BMG, 1995. (CD)
    • Mass I: Lux et Origo
    • Mass II: Fons Bonitatis
    • Mass VIII: De Angelis
    • Mass IX: Cum Jubilo
    • Mass XI: Orbis Factor
  • The Dufay Collective with John Potter, Miri it is: Songs and Instrumental Music from Medieval England, Chandos, 1995. (CD)
    • Miri it is while sumer ilast / Merry it is while summer lasts
    • Dance: Miri it is
    • Edi beo thu hevene-queene / Blessed be thou, Queen of Heaven
    • Estampie: Edi beo thu
    • Ar ne kuth ich sorghe non / Formerly I knew no sorrow
    • 'Ductia'
    • Brid one brere / Bird on a briar
    • 'Estampie'
    • O sponsa Dei electa / O chosen bride of God
    • Beata viscera / Blessed womb
    • Sanctus / Holy
    • Alleluya psallat / This congregation sings Alleluya
    • 'Ductia'
    • Sancta Mater graciae / Holy mother of grace
    • Sancta Mater graciae
    • Dance
    • Omnis caro peccaverunt
    • Dance: Omnis caro
    • 'Ductia'
    • Sumer is icumen in / Summer is come
  • Sequentia, The Ensemble for Medieval Music, Cologne, English Songs of the Middle Ages, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, 1988. (CD)
    • Sainte Marie viergene / Crist & St. Marie / St. Nicholas
    • The milde Lomb, isprad o rode
    • Edi be thu, heven-queene (instrumental)
    • Ar ne kuth ich sorghe non
    • Dance
    • Jesu Cristes milde moder
    • Worldes nlis ne last no throwe
    • Instrumental
    • Fuweles in the frith
    • Man me longe lives weene
    • Bryd one brere
    • Edi be thu, heven-queene
    • Ar ne kuth ich sorghe non (instrumental)
  • Robert Donat and The Old Vic Company, Murder in the Cathedral, Listen for Pleasure, 1981. (cassettes)
  • City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle, Conductor, Soundtrack for Henry V, EMI, 1989. (cassette)

Cookbooks and other aids for preparing a banquet:

  • Cosman, Madeleine Pelner. Fabulous Feasts: Medieval Cookery and Ceremony. New York: George Braziller, 1976. Recipes with a thorough essay on medieval food and notes for modern feasts.
  • Cosman, Madeleine Pelner. Medieval Holidays and Festivals: A Calendar of Celebrations. New York: Scribner's, 1981. More recipes, with descriptions of traditional entertainments appropriate to each month.
  • Hieatt, Constance B., Brenda Hosington and Sharon Butler. Pleyn Delit: Medieval Cookery for Modern Cooks. 2nd Ed. Toronto: U. of Toronto Press, 1996. A particularly wide range of recipes, including some Arabic ones; little on ceremonies. Regularly quotes the original recipe, translating into English as needed.
  • Scully, D. Eleanor and Terence Scully. Early French Cookery: Sources, History, Original Recipes and Modern Adaptations. Ann Arbor: U. of Michigan Press, 1995. A narrower focus than Pleyn Delit; gives not only the original recipe and the modern translation, but illustrative comments from medieval medical and etiquette texts. Includes some advice on costuming and other preparations.

Top of page

 

Index for Twice-Told Tales
This page last revised on August 18, 1998.
Background textures in these pages are used by courtesy of WebGround.
The decorative motifs are from Eva Wilson, Early Medieval Designs from Britain for Artists and Craftspeople, Dover Books, 1983.
The up arrow is a heraldic pheon, drawn with the program Blazon, available through: The British Heraldic Archive