Dhira B. Mahoney                                                                                                                     

Office: LL 226B

Tel. and voice-mail: 965-8139.            E-mail:  Dhira.Mahoney@asu.edu

Hours: T Th 2-3 pm, W 10-12 am, and by appointment

 

Spring 2000   English 417/545 (51190/13707)

 

                        CHAUCER, Minor Poems and Troilus and Criseyde

 

Required Texts:

Larry D.Benson, ed. The Riverside Chaucer.  Houghton Mifflin, 1987.

Boethius.  The Consolation of Philosophy. Trans. V.E. Watts.  Penguin, 1962.

De Lorris and De Meun.  The Romance of the Rose. Trans. Frances Horgan. Oxford Worlds Classics. Oxford University Press, 1994.

 

Recommended Texts:

Geoffrey Chaucer. Love Visions. Trans. Brian Stone. Viking Penguin, 1983.

Geoffrey Chaucer. Troilus and Criseyde.  Trans. Nevill Coghill.  Viking Penguin, 1971.

 

Course Requirements: 

One midterm examination and a Final examination.  One short (5-6 page) critical paper on the Book of the Duchess, The House of Fame, or The Parliament of Fowls, due just after Spring Break, and an 8-10-page term paper, due May 2. (Graduate and honors students write a 15-20 page term paper).  One ungraded take-home essay will be assigned for Feb. 8, as a practice for the first critical paper.  The term-paper should be written on either Troilus and Criseyde or The Legend of Good Women, on a topic of your choice, established after consultation with me; schedule an office conference to discuss it before or soon after Spring Break, and hand in a short proposal (one paragraph for undergraduates, one page for graduates) by April 6.

           

You are advised to attend class regularly, as occasional pop quizzes on the reading may be given in class.  Pop quizzes may not be made up; the midterm examination may be made up only if there is a legitimate excuse for absence.

 

Each student will be required to memorize a passage in Middle English (a complete lyric, or a passage of 20-30 lines) from one of the works, and to recite it with the appropriate pronunciation, either privately to me or in class.  Listen to the tapes on Reserve and study the pronunciation guide in the Riverside.  Your performance on this reading will not be graded, but failure to fulfil this requirement will affect your final grade.

 

Graduate students will be required to give a short (15-20 minute) presentation in class on a selected text or topic.  Sign up for your text/topic from a list provided early in the semester.  Depending on numbers, they may be required to participate in an electronic discussion group to comment on secondary readings.

 

 

SYLLABUS (subject to change)

Please come prepared to discuss the readings on the days indicated. Page numbers refer to the Riverside Chaucer.  Don't forget the Explanatory Notes to each work, at the back of the Riverside.  The ideal method of preparing the text each day is to read it twice, once for primary comprehension, second for interpretation, using the Notes.  Note that the Riverside has glosses at the bottom of the page and a complete alphabetized Glossary at the back.

 

Week I

Jan 18:  Introduction to course.  Videotape, A Prologue to Chaucer.  Handout on Middle English grammar.

Jan 20:  Riverside, Introduction: Chaucer's Life (xv-xxvi), Pronunciation (xxx-xxxiv, esp. Table on p. xxxii).  Short poems: General Intro. (631-33), "Merciles Beaute" (659), "Against Women Unconstant" (657), "To Rosemound" (649).  Discuss handout on Middle English grammar.

 

Week II

Jan 25:  Riverside Introduction: Language (xxxiv-xlii) and versification (xlii-xliv).  DON'T EXPECT TO ASSIMILATE ALL THIS INFORMATION IMMEDIATELY.  READ IT THROUGH AND USE IT AS A REFERENCE TO RETURN TO FREQUENTLY.  Short poems: "Womanly Noblesse" (649-50), "The Complaint of Chaucer to his Purse" (656), "Complaint unto Pity," (640-41).

Jan 27:  "Complaint of Mars," "Complaint of Venus" (643-49). Discussion of courtly love.

 

Week III

Feb  1:  The Romance of the Rose (Horgan trans.), Chapters 1-5.  Consult Chaucer's Romaunt of the Rose, Fragment A. (685-694) for Middle English terminology.

Feb  3:  Continue Romance of the Rose, Ch. 6 (note p. 162-63), Chs. 11-12; Begin Book of the Duchess (329-346), to line 486.

 

Week IV

Feb  8:  Finish Book of the Duchess (329-346).  **Ungraded essay due**

Feb 10:  Begin House of Fame (347-354), Book I.

 

Week V

Feb 15:  Continue House of Fame (354-373), Books II and III.

Feb 17:  Finish House of Fame.  Discussion.

 

Week VI

Feb 22:  Parliament of Fowls (383-394).

Feb 24:  No class: start reading Boethius, Consolation of Philosophy, Watts. trans.

 

Week VII

Feb 29: Finish Parliament of Fowls.  Discussion.  Begin discussion of Boethius, Consolation of Philosophy, Watts. trans. (compare Chaucer's translation also, if you wish.)

Mar  2:  Finish discussing Boethius.  Read Anelida and Arcite (375-381).

 

Week VIII

Mar  7:  Midterm Examination.

Mar  9:  Introduction to Troilus and Criseyde.  Begin reading Book I (471), to line 546.

 

Week IX

Mar 13-17 SPRING BREAK. NO CLASS.

 

Week X

Mar 21:  Troilus and Criseyde, finish Book I (471-488).

Mar 23:  Troilus and Criseyde, Book II (489-513).  **PAPER ONE DUE**.

 

 

 

Week XI

Mar 28:  Troilus and Criseyde, finish Book II.

Mar 30:  Troilus and Criseyde, Book III (513-537).

 

Week XII

Apr  4:  Troilus and Criseyde, Book III and Book IV (538-560).

Apr  6:  Troilus and Criseyde, conclude Book IV.

 

Week XIII

Apr 11:  Troilus and Criseyde, Book V (560-585).

Apr 13:  Troilus and Criseyde, conclude Book V; discussion.

 

Week XIV

Apr 18:  Legend of Good Women, Prologue (587-603).

Apr 20:  Legend of Good Women, Prologue, cont. Legends 1-II.

 

Week XV

Apr 25:  Legend of Good Women, Legends III-V.

Apr 27:  Legend of Good Women, Legend VI-IX. 

 

Week XVI

May  2:  Remaining short poems (650-656).  Conclusion and Review.*** TERM PAPER DUE ***. 

 

 

Friday, May 5 (10.00-11.50): Final examination.

 

 

Grade distribution (undergraduate): Paper 1 and midterm, 20% each; Paper 2 and final exam, 25% each; quizzes, attendance, class participation, recitation, etc., 10%.

 

Grade distribution (graduate): consult instructor.