Prof.
N. Black Fall
2003
Office: 2314 Boylan
Direct
Voice: 951-5197 (during office hours) Voice Mail Only: 951-4274
Hours:
M, T, and Th, 3:00-6:00 p.m. E-mail: nblack@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Web
site: http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/English/black
English 30.2 (EM6): Chaucer Mon. 6:30-9:10 p.m.
Chaucer is the most important poet writing in English in the Middle Ages, and he is especially noted for his artistic innovations in The Canterbury Tales, a collection of short narratives and two long treatises on which this course focuses exclusively. We read the work in the language in which it was written, a dialect of English known as Middle English. Learning to read this dialect, spoken in and around London in the late fourteenth century, is a means to a larger end: that is, to understand some of the social, religious, and aesthetic issues raised by Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Written in fragments and unfinished at the time of the author's death, the text presents many interpretive puzzles to modern readers. Our reading of the Tales leads us into discussion of many aspects of medieval life and thought: class and gender conflicts; church corruption; free will and destiny; abuses of power and proper governance; sin, penance, and redemption. Students write three short papers and a final examination. There will be frequent quizzes to check for understanding of the reading. The principal text will be The Canterbury Tales, edited by Larry D. Benson (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000): ISBN 0-395-97823-8.
Students may expect to learn the following: to read and pronounce Middle English; to analyze the literary and cultural aspects of the Tales; to write more effectively; to become familiar with standard research tools and the MLA style of documentation.
Weekly Assignments (dates due):
Sept. 8: introduction to Chaucer, his language, and his world (schedule appointments for reading aloud).
Sept. 15: read the "General Prologue," pp. 5-18; pp. xxvi-xxviii and consult Harvard Web site; quiz (translation of ten lines).
Sept. 22: read "The Knight's Tale," pp. 19-48.
Sept. 29: first paper (in-class); read "The Miller's Tale" and "The Reeve's Tale," pp. 48-66.
Oct. 6: no class
Oct. 7: read "The Man of Law's Tale," pp. 69-86; quiz (translation of ten lines). THIS CLASS WILL MEET IN THE WOODY TANGER AUDITORIUM, BROOKLYN COLLEGE LIBRARY FOR A PUBLIC LECTURE ON "CHAUCER'S CONSTANCE AND OTHER MEDIEVAL STORIES OF ACCUSED QUEENS," 6:30-8:00 p.m. Class will continue after the lecture until 9:10 p.m.
Oct. 13: no class
Oct. 20: second paper (in-class); read "The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale," pp. 87-104.
Oct. 27: read "The Clerk's Prologue and Tale," pp. 119-135.
Nov. 3: revision of in-class paper due (3-4 pages); read "The Merchant's Prologue and Tale," pp. 135-150.
Nov. 10: read "The Franklin's Prologue and Tale," pp. 160-171
Nov. 17: read "The Physician's Tale" and "The Pardoner's Introduction, Prologue, and Tale," pp. 172-184. Quiz.
Nov. 24: read "The Prioress's Tale," pp. 191-194; "The Nun's Priest's Prologue, Tale, and Epilogue," pp. 234-243.
Dec. 1: third paper due (2-3 typed pages): using the MLA Index, locate and read one scholarly article written during the last twenty years about one of Chaucer's tales read thus far for class; summarize in your own words the thesis and main arguments of the article and discuss how they contribute (or why they do not contribute) to a better understanding of the tale.
Dec. 8: read "The Second Nun's Prologue and Tale," pp. 244-251; "The Canon Yeoman's Prologue and Tale," pp. 252-263.
Dec. 15: read "The Manciple's Prologue and Tale," pp. 264-268.
Dec. 22: Final examination
Grading: Students are expected to attend every class and arrive with the reading or research prepared for the dates indicated above. Average of quizzes and class participation (20%); three short papers (60%); final examination (20%).