SoSe 23: PS-Medieval English Literatures: Troilus und Criseyde
Kendrick Rowan
Comments
With its medieval re-staging of a popular story from antiquity, Geoffrey Chaucer’s courtly romance Troilus and Criseyde allows its readers to explore the relationship between history and narrative. Criseyde, abandoned by her treacherous father, becomes the object of Troilus’ desire. This highly intimate and tragic love story plays against the backdrop of the Trojan War emphasizing the relationship between those caught up within great historical events and the representation of the events themselves. The text explores ethical questions, such as who controls narrative and its reproduction, as well as questions of desire, agency, and power. We will explore the many layers of myth and legend, examining how they are formed, reflected upon, and reformed within Chaucer’s text. While this course focuses mainly on the primary text, there will be occasional secondary readings provided. Students are expected to have purchased and read the Norton Critical Edition (Stephen A. Barney [ed.], New York: W. W. Norton, 2006) of the text.
close14 Class schedule
Regular appointments