ENG 303-01 - Chaucer

4 credits (Spring)

This upper-level English course takes up the Canterbury Tales by the “father” of English literature, Geoffrey Chaucer (d.1400). In reading Chaucer’s timeless tales, we’ll sample an array of medieval genres and familiarize ourselves with the culture and politics of late medieval England. On the one hand, we’ll treat Chaucer’s pilgrims’ stories to close readings to appreciate their narrative and poetic techniques in their own right; on the other hand, we’ll situate the work within the context of the greater medieval world by touching on the author’s literary contemporaries and predecessors. In brief, we’ll examine medieval social, aesthetic, and intellectual traditions and legacies through the lens of Chaucer’s celebrated Tales. Above all, we’ll enjoy a semester’s worth of scrumptious stories!

Prerequisite: ENG 223.
Instructor: Abdelkarim