Studies in Medieval Literature

The course will begin with an introduction to the troubadours, including instruction in their language, Medieval Occitan. After reading a representative selection of troubadour poems, the class will move to consideration of major lyric traditions that take their inspiration from, or are cognate with, the troubadours: the trouvères, Minnesang, the Sicilian School, the Dolce Stil Nuovo, the Galician-Portuguese cantigas de amor, and strophic poetry in Arabic depending on the interests of the students.  Among the topics to be considered are the social situation of poetry in the Middle Ages, the material remains of medieval lyric, the continuities and discontinuities of genre, the relationship between poetry and music, and links between oral and written traditions. Students who are interested in taking the course should contact the instructor in person or by e-mail.

Required: William Paden, An Introduction to Old Occitan (New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 1998).