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College of Arts and Sciences

Painting: Edmund Blair Leighton, 'Godspeed'

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English 555/755-01
Arthurian Literature


Daily Reading Schedule

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Spring Semester 2009
MWF 12:00 - 12:50, Grubbs 312
Instructor:  Dr. K. Nichols
E-Mail:  knichols@pittstate.edu







NOTE:  It is assumed that most students have already read
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Wife of Bath's Tale
in their introductory British Literature survey course.


Week One

Jan. 16

  • Introduction.
  • Submit by next Wednesday your top three choices of Arthurian characters you would like to track throughout the semester. Choices: Guinevere, Lancelot, Arthur, Gawain, the Grail Knights (Perceval, Galahad), Ladies of the Lake (Morgan le Fay and others), prophets/enchanters (Merlin, Nimue/Vivienne, Morgan le Fay).
  • Visit the Computer Classroom Grubbs 101: Browse syllabus and related links.
  • Simplified Medieval Britain Timeline (online).


Week Two

Jan. 19

  • MARTIN LUTHER KING HOLIDAY (no class)

Celtic Myth & Welsh Warrior-Heroes (10-11th C.)

(Topics: Cei as Top Warrior; Otherworld Journeys; Seasonal Myths.)

Jan. 21


Recommended: Introduction to "Pwyll"; "Pa gur: Dialogue . . ." Resources (online); "The Mabinogion" Resources (online)


Jan. 23


Recommended: Introduction to "Branwen"; "The Spoils of Annwn" Resources (online); "The Mabinogion" Resources (online)



Week Three

Jan. 26

  • "Culhwch and Olwen," pp. 119-158 in The Mabinogi and Other Medieval Welsh Tales

Recommended: Introduction to "Culhwch and Olwen"; "The Mabinogion" Resources (online)


French Romance/Breton Lay: Courtly Love (12th C.)

(Topics: Lancelot as Hero; Perceval as Grail Knight; Faerie Queens)

Jan. 28


Recommended: Introduction to Chrétien's romances; Chrétien resources (online)


Jan.30

  • Chrétien, "Lancelot," pp. 218-252 in Arthurian Romances.
  • CONTEXT REPORTS ASSIGNED (due 2/11). See paper directions (online).


Week Four

Feb. 02

  • Chrétien, "Lancelot," pp. 252-280 in Arthurian Romances.

Feb. 04

  • Video: Eric Rohmer's Perceval de Gallois (1978)--140 min.

Feb. 06

  • Video: Rohmer's Perceval de Gallois


Week Five

Feb. 09

  • Video: Rohmer's Perceval de Gallois
  • TAKE-HOME EXAM ASSIGNED (due 2/20)

Feb. 11

  • Catch-up Day

Feb. 13

  • CONTEXT REPORTS DUE: written 4 pp.; oral 10 min.
    1)____________ 2)____________ 3)____________ 4)____________


Week Six

Feb. 16

  • 5)____________ 6)____________ 7)____________ 8)____________

Feb. 18

  • Marie de France, Lanval (online) and, attributed to Marie de France, Prologue and The Lay of Gugemar (online)
  • Wace, [Merlin Episodes], pp. 96-102, from Roman De Brut in Romance of Arthur: An Anthology. (hand-out)

Recommended: Marie de France resources (online)


Feb. 20

  • TAKE-HOME EXAM #1 DUE (no class)


Middle English Romance: World of Chivalry (15th C.)

(Topics: Loathly Hag; Rise/Fall of Round Table; Galahad as Grail Knight)

Week Seven

Feb. 23


Recommended: Gawain/Ragnelle resources (online)


Feb. 25

  • Sir Thomas Malory, "How Uther Pendragon Begot . . .," pp. 3-33, in Le Morte Darthur

Recommended: Morte Darthur resources (online)


Feb. 27

  • Malory, "Tale of Balin . . ." pp. 33-49; "Wedding of King Arthur," 50-57; "Of Nevive and Morgan le Fay," 57-81. [Section on Emperor of Rome omitted]


Week Eight

Mar. 02

  • Malory, "Noble Tale of Sir Lancelot du Lake," pp. 95-119; [Long section on Sir Gareth and Sir Tristram omitted]; "Of Sir Galahad, Sir Lancelot's Son" pp. 281-292; "Of Sir Lancelot, that suffered . . ." pp.293-303; [Section on Sir Tristram and Sir Palomides omitted]; "Noble Tale of the Sangrail," pp. 310-320; Of Sir Galahad, pp. 321-326.

Mar. 04

  • Malory, "Of Sir Gawain . . . ," pp. 327-345; [Section on Sir Lancelot omitted]; "Of Sir Gawain and Sir Ector," pp. 351-6; [Section on Sir Bors and Sir Galahad omitted]; "Of Sir Lancelot," pp. 388-394; "Of Sir Galahad," pp. 395-402.

Mar. 06

  • Malory, "Tale of Sir Lancelot and Queen Guenivere," pp. 403-37


Week Nine

Mar. 09

  • Malory, "Tale of Sir Lancelot and Queen Guenivere," pp. 437-67

Mar. 11

  • Malory, "Death of Arthur," pp. 468-498

Mar. 13

  • Malory, "Death of Arthur," pp. 498-527

NOTE: Students enrolled at 700-level should begin the reading/research for their longer additional paper which is due by last day of class at the latest. See paper directions (online).



Week Ten

Mar. 16 -- 20   SPRING BREAK (no class)



Victorian Medievalism: Poetry and Art (19th C.)

Week Eleven

Mar. 23

  • Alfred, Lord Tennyson, The Lady of Shalott, pp. 295-300, in Idylls of the King and a Selection of Poems.
  • The Middle Ages Revisited in the Art of the Pre-Raphaelites (online).
  • Study the Shalott paintings on the Arthurian Literature and Art web page (click on the small images to see larger ones) AND read ONE OR MORE articles/essays listed there on how artists have interpreted the Shalott motif in their paintings. Be prepared to discuss the various interpretations by Tennyson and the artists.
  • LIT/ART REPORT ASSIGNED (due 4/8). See paper directions (online).

Recommended: The Painted Poem (online) --covers "Lady of Shalott"; Arthurian Legend Illustrated (online)-- preview a large selection of Arthurian artwork.


Mar. 25

  • Alfred, Lord Tennyson, "Merlin and Viviene," pp. 126-152 in Idylls of the King and a Selection of Poems.
  • TAKE-HOME EXAM ASSIGNED (due 4/01)

Recommended: "Idylls" resources (online)


Mar. 27

  • Tennyson, "Holy Grail," pp. 190-214


Week Twelve

Mar. 30

  • Tennyson, "Guinevere," pp. 253-272; "The Passing of Arthur," pp. 272-285.

Apr. 01

  • TAKE-HOME EXAM DUE (no class).

Apr. 03

  • Video: Robert Bresson's Lancelot du Lac (1974)--85 min.


Week Thirteen

Apr. 06

  • Video: Bresson's Lancelot du Lac.

Apr. 08

  • LIT/ART REPORTS DUE: written 4 pp.; oral 10 min.
    1)____________ 2)____________ 3)____________ 4)____________

Modern American Revisions and Viewpoints (20th C.)

Apr. 10

  • Marion Zimmer Bradley, "The Faerie Queen Speaks, pp. 1-2, and Part III Daughter of Avalon, pp. 317-367, in Lady of Avalon.

Recommended: Thoughts on Avalon (online)



Week Fourteen

Apr. 13

  • Bradley, Part III Daughter of Avalon, pp. 368-422.

Apr. 15

  • Bradley, Part III Daughter of Avalon, pp. 423-457, and "The Faerie Queen Speaks," pp. 459-460.
  • Norris Lacy, Merlin the Mad (online)

Apr. 17



Week Fifteen

Apr. 20

  • Roger Zelazny, "The Last Defender of Camelot," pp. 1-26, in Isaac Asimov's Camelot
  • LITERARY ANALYSIS PAPER ASSIGNED (due 5/8). See paper directions (online).

The Tristan-Isolde Tradition: Medieval to Modern

Apr. 22

  • "Cantare on the Death of Tristan" (hand-out)
  • Joseph Bédier, The Romance of Tristan and Iseult, pp. 1-66.

Recommended: 'Tristan' Resources (online).


Apr. 24

  • Bédier, The Romance of Tristan and Iseult, pp. 67-137.


Week Sixteen

Apr. 27

  • Bédier, The Romance of Tristan and Iseult, pp. 139-201.

Apr. 29

  • Video: Richard Wagner's Tristan and Isolde (selection from Act I).

Recommended: Wagner, Hitler and Anti-Semitism (online)


May 01

  • Video: Richard Wagner's Tristan and Isolde (selection from Act III--the famous "Liebestod")


Week Seventeen

May 04

  • Video: Jean Cocteau's L'Eternel Retour [The Eternal Return] (1943)--108 min.
    TAKE-HOME EXAM ASSIGNED (due 5/11-5/15).

May 06

  • Video: Cocteau's L'Eternel Retour [The Eternal Return]

May 08

  • Video: Cocteau's L'Eternel Retour [The Eternal Return]
  • LITERARY ANALYSIS PAPER DUE
  • Last day to accept additional paper for 700-level credit.


FINAL TAKE-HOME EXAM: Due May 13-May 14 (no class). Submit a hard-copy to my office (Rm. 450) or email it to me as a .doc file or .rtf file: knichols@pittstate.edu .






Return to Nichols Home page



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Painting top of page:
"Godspeed" by Edmund Blair Leighton


Background images by Devonshire Designs
English Department | PSU Home
File posted: 12/08/2008
E-mail comments/suggestions: knichols
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