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Bard of the Middle Ages: The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer

Course Syllabus

Lecture 1   Chaucer’s Life, Times, and Importance

Lecture 2    Language, Style, and Literary Background

Lecture 3    The Book of the Duchess, The Romance of the Rose, and the Minor Poems

Lecture 4    The House of Fame, Anelida and Arcite, The Parliament of Fowls, and Boethius

Lecture 5    Troilus and Criseyde, Books I-II

Lecture 6    Troilus and Criseyde, Books III-V

Lecture 7    The Legend of Good Women

Lecture 8    The Canterbury Tales: “General Prologue”

Lecture 9    The Canterbury Tales: “The Knight’s Tale,” “The Miller’s Tale,” “The Reeve’s Tale,” and “The Cook’s Tale”

Lecture 10   The Canterbury Tales: “The Man of Law’s Tale,” “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” “The Friar’s Tale,” and “The Summoner’s Tale”

Lecture 11   The Canterbury Tales: “The Clerk’s Tale,” “The Merchant’s Tale,” “The Squire’s Tale,” and “The Franklin’s Tale”

Lecture 12   The Canterbury Tales: “The Physician’s Tale,” “The Pardoner’s Tale,” “The Shipman’s Tale,” and “The Prioress’s Tale”

Lecture 13   The Canterbury Tales: “Sir Thopas,” “The Tale of Melibee,” “The Monk’s Tale,” “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale,” and “The Second Nun’s Tale”

Lecture 14   The Canterbury Tales: “The Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale,” “The Manciple’s Tale,” “The Retraction,” and Our Conclusions

Had Geoffrey Chaucer not written, or not written so well, the last 600 years of English literature would have been decidedly different. His creative style and use of language served as one of the primary foundations on which later writers built. Through his writing, Chaucer’s wit, charm, and eloquence give us a deeper understanding of not only the time in which he lived, but of how human emotion, frailty, and fortitude are the base elements of human existence.

Despite social upheaval and the changing fortunes of his patrons and peers, Chaucer remained a favored subject during three distinct and contrasting reigns. His experiences provided Chaucer an appreciation for his good (and bad) fortune—and that of others—made evident in his writing.

Chaucer’s works are today widely studied and serve as models for current literature around the world. Chaucer holds a place of esteem as the earliest and one of the foremost writers in the English language.


PDF Document Bard of the Middle Ages: The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer (Booklet)

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ISBN
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PriceMARC
Record
Quantity
Modern Scholar Audio Course
CD Course (CD)
( 7 CDs )
By: Recorded Books, LLC
978-1-4193-3014-8
UC059 Quick Options
$98.75
Cassette Course (Cassette)
( 7 Cassettes )
By: Recorded Books, LLC
978-1-4193-3013-1
U1059 Quick Options
$98.75 No MARC Available

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Professor

Professor Michael D.C. Drout
(Wheaton College)
Michael D.C. Drout is an associate professor of English at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, where he teaches courses in Old and Middle English, medieval literature, Chaucer, fantasy, and science fiction.

Professor Drout received his Ph.D. in medieval literature from Loyola Universi...




LINKS
  • Course Forum
  • Final ExamCourse Final Exam
  • Literature Courses

  • Related Links
  • www.unc.edu/depts/chaucer/inde... - The site contains many links and resources devoted to the study of Chaucer’s work and his life.
  • www.artsci.wustl.edu/~chaucer/... - Website of The New Chaucer Society hosted by Washington University in Saint Louis, MO.
  • www3.baylor.edu:80/~Chaucer_Bi... - Baylor University (TX) website containing an online index and bibliography of the nearly 800 articles that have appeared in The Chaucer Review.
  • www.michaeldrout.com - Among several items of interest to students of Chaucer on Professor Drout’s website are “King Alfred’s Grammar” page and the “How Tradition Works” page.
  • www.etext.lib.virginia.edu/mid... - University of Virginia Library Electronic Text Center, including Middle English versions of Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde and The Canterbury Tales.
  • www.trytel.com/~tristan/towns/... - This site contains detailed information on urban medieval life in England
  • www.litnotes.co.uk/duchess.htm - Text of The Book of the Duchess from Chaucer and His Poetry with analysis by G.L. Kittredge
  • www.special.lib.gla.ac.uk/exhi... - University of Glasgow (Scotland) Library page with a short analysis of Roman del la Rose and images from a manuscript of the period.
  • More Links ...
    - Course password Required.




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