British Literature and Culture: The Court and the Wilderness (I)

This course will offer a broad overview of the rich and varied British literature written roughly between 1400 and 1700. Reading a diverse body of material (romance, epic, lyric), we will explore competing notions of subjectivity within the courtly context. As we interrogate the relationship between the court and the social/mythical concept of “wilderness,” we will consider ways in which the apparent opposition between the refined courtier/knight and the “wild man” often belies a complex mutual dependence. Within this context we will also examine the ways in which notions of sexuality and gender contribute to polarized readings of female conduct as “chaste” or “wild.” Texts may include: Beowulf, Gawain and the Green Knight, Lais of Marie de France, Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, and Shakespeare’s As You Like It. 3 hrs. lect.