This module focuses on Old English literature and court culture, considering both works which were produced in connection with a particular court and works...

This module focuses on Old English literature and court culture, considering both works which were produced in connection with a particular court and works whose contents include representation of a court or courts. The module includes a study of some writings associated with Alfred's court at the end of the ninth century and also of poetry such as Beowulf (focusing on, for example, the courtly speeches and their ornate syntax and layers of meaning, and comparison and contrast of Hrothgar’s, Hygelac’s and Beowulf’s courts). Its approach allows students to engage closely with texts from a literary point of view and also to consider how historical, linguistic, and cultural issues bear in significant ways on the interpretation of Old English writings. Some prior knowledge of Old English is required for the module.

Note: MA Medieval and Renaissance Studies students may take the 15-credit &#039;Skills and Sources&#039; module in conjunction with this module.

The purpose of...

Note: MA Medieval and Renaissance Studies students may take the 15-credit 'Skills and Sources' module in conjunction with this module.

The purpose of this module is to introduce students to the variety of skills required to read and interpret medieval manuscripts from the Anglo-Saxon period to the fifteenth century.

Using important examples of books containing poetry and prose, students will be taught to read medieval handwriting, and how books were constructed and produced. The second strand of the module will include broader social and literary issues concerning medieval books such as patronage and ownership; readership, both male and female; the changing role of scribes and illuminators both in making books and helping to fashion assumptions about reading and interpretation; genre; and locality. By providing a range of material from the Anglo-Saxon period to the later Middle Ages, students will have the opportunity to compare books across both periods while still receiving specialised tuition on each.

Old English will usually be studied in one term and Middle English in the other.