Department of English

In this seminar we will read selections from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Troilus and Criseyde, and some of his "minor" poems in the original Middle English, with close attention to questions of the idea of literary authority, gender, and the cultural and political upheaval that marked late fourteenth-century England. Classes will center on discussion, with occasional short lectures introducing important concepts. The course will begin with a series of exercises to show that Chaucer's language is easily mastered; other requirements include presentations, short response papers, and a 12-15 page research paper.