Dr. Eve Salisbury Office: Sprau 919
Course: English 530-54163 Office phone: 7-2622
Time: R, 7:00-9:30 P.M. Home phone: 387-0669
Room: Brown 4019 E-mail: eve.salisbury@wmich.edu
Office Hours: TR 1-3:30 or by appointment

Required Texts (listed in order of use):
Marie de France, The Lais of Marie de France: New Edition, trans. Glyn Burgess. New York: Penguin, 1999.
Middle English Breton Lays, ed. Anne Laskaya and Eve Salisbury. Kalamazoo: Medieval Institute Publications, 1995.
Four Romances of England: King Horn, Havelok the Dane, Bevis of Hampton, Athelston, ed. Ronald B. Herzman, Graham Drake, Eve Salisbury. Kalamazoo: Medieval Institute Publications, 2000.
Letters of Abelard and Heloise, trans. Betty Radice. New York: Penguin, 1974.
Augustine, Confessions, trans. Henry Chadwick. London: Oxford UP, 1991.
John Gower, Confessio Amantis, ed. Russell A. Peck. Kalamazoo: Medieval Institute Publications, 2000.
William Langland, Piers Plowman, ed. E. Talbot Donaldson. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1990.
Julian of Norwich, The Showings of Julian of Norwich, ed. Georgiana Crompton. Kalamazoo: Medieval Institute Publications, 1997.
Margery Kempe. The Book of Margery Kempe, ed. Lynn Staley. Kalamazoo: Medieval Institute Publications, 1998.
Giovanni Boccaccio. De mulieribus claris (On Famous Women), trans. Victoria Brown. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 2001.
Christine de Pizan, The Book of the City of Ladies, trans. Earl Jeffrey Richards. New York: Persea, 1982.

Authorship and the Making of Medieval Texts

In this course we study a range of literary works written by known authors such as Augustine, Marie de France, Julian of Norwich, Margery Kempe, Boccaccio, Christine de Pizan, John Gower, Abelard and Heloise, William Langland (to name a few) as well as texts authored anonymously and until recently marginalized in the literary and cultural canons. Combining authored and anonymous texts in this way allows us to ask questions about the politics of canonicity, the operations of intertextuality, the making of textual authority, relations between oral and written traditions, and the role of premodern technologies in the transmission, dissemination, and production of a distinctive literary corpus.

Research options:
You are strongly encouraged to surf websites such as the Camelot Project, Labyrinth, Society for Medieval Feminist Scholarship, Yearbook of Langland Studies, International Marie de France Society, etc., and bring your findings/discoveries to the attention of the class. Some sites will offer study guides, some annotated bibliographies; please make use of these materials, but remember that the library can never be replaced as an important repository of information.

Papers/Discussion:
There are two papers: the first, a five-page critical analysis, i.e., close reading of a textual crux, pivotal passage, or even an ambiguous word or phrase, one that sheds light on the rest of the passage and the text as a whole; for the second paper you have an option to do a modified research paper (three to ten secondary sources) OR a creative project that in some way embodies themes of the course or captures some aspect of the issues we've discussed in class. (If you choose this second option, please do consult with me before you begin.)

Consultations:
I would like to meet with each of you after the first paper AND sometime during the various stages of thinking about a final project.

Grading:
The final grade is based upon your written work (60% [20/40]), your contributions to classroom discussion (25%), the final exam (10%) and the general improvement of your work over the course of the semester (5%).

Attendance:
In order to receive full credit for classroom discussion attendance is necessary. Should you miss class for ANY reason, please do contact me by e-mail so that we can discuss the readings for the day.

Academic Integrity and a statement from the Professional Concerns Committee:
You are responsible for making yourself award of and understanding the policies and procedures in the Undergraduate Catalog that pertain to Academic Integrity. These policies include cheating, fabrication and forgery, multiple submission, plagiarism, complicity and computer misuse. If there is reason to believe you have been involved in academic dishonesty, you will be referred to the office of Student Judicial Affairs. You will be given the opportunity to review the charge(s). If you believe you are not responsible, you will have the opportunity for a hearing You should consult with me if you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior to the submission of an assignment or test.

Syllabus

Week One: Introduction: The Cloisters, Cultural Space, and (Author)izing the Past
8/30 Marie de France, "Prologue"

Week Two: Otherworlds/ Worlds of Authors
9/6 "The Medieval Theory of Authorship"
"Authorizing Text and Writer"
"What is an Author?"
"The Death of the Author"
Marie de France, The Lais

Week Three: Orality, Authority, and Vernacularity
9/13 Middle English Breton Lays: Sir Orfeo, Sir Degaré, Lai le Freine, Emaré, Sir Gowther, Sir Launfal

Week Four: Orality, Authority, and Vernacularity (continued)
9/20 Four Romances of England: King Horn, Havelok the Dane, Bevis of Hampton, Athelston
Paper #1 due

Week Five: Dialectic Passion and the Art of Letter Writing
9/27 Letters of Abelard and Heloise (film clip from Stealing Heaven)

Week Six: Scriptural Authority and the Speaking Subject
10/4 Augustine, Confessions

Week Seven: Confession, Genius, and the Lover
10/11 John Gower, Confessio Amantis

Week Eight: Writing as Labor of Love
10/18 William Langland, Piers Plowman

Week Nine: Authorizing the Female Voice
10/25 Julian of Norwich, The Showings of Julian of Norwich

Week Ten: Authorizing the Female Voice (continued)
11/1 Margery Kempe, The Book of Margery Kempe

Week Eleven: The Authority of Women
11/8 Boccaccio, De mulieribus claris (On Famous Women)

Week Twelve: The Authority of Women (continued)
11/15 Christine de Pizan, Book of the City of Ladies

THANKSGIVING BREAK!

Week Thirteen: Authorship and the Making of Medieval Texts
11/29 Continuations and conclusions
Paper #2 due

FINAL EXAM
(Thursday, December 6th, 7:15-9:15)