Middle English Literature

The course aims to illustrate the distinguishing features, the main literary genres and the history of medieval English literature. In addition to completing the educational path of the English literature specialists, the course has two further learning objectives: showing the relative and historically determined value of the modern concepts of literature, and providing linguistic and critical competence for dealing with literary texts from pre-modern times. All of this, by keeping in mind the radical otherness and, at the same time, the surprising modernity of medieval literature. These learning objectives are consistent with the general learning objectives of the Study Programme as they help graduates gain extensive and in-depth knowledge and skills in the historical and critical literary field. In particular, the introductory lessons of the course aim to illustrate the very concept of literature that characterizes the medieval world, with the peculiar nature of the manuscript text, the author and the relationship between author and public. The course then develops by presenting some authors (Geoffrey Chaucer in the first place), genres and texts of Middle English literature through a (usually thematic) selection of representative texts, which are included in the framework of the literary tradition of the 12th-15th centuries. Finally, attention is focused on the monographic component of the course, which deals in depth with a topic or text relevant to the literary production of the English Middle Ages.

Knowledge and understanding: knowledge of the literary output in the English Middle Ages; knowledge of the distinguishing features of the medieval literary text; understanding of the evolutionary relationship between medieval and post-medieval literature. Applying knowledge and understanding: ability to read, translate, and critically interpret and evaluate literary texts of the English Middle Ages; ability to grasp the historical, social and cultural implications of literary texts; increased awareness about the nature of literature.