This unit concentrates on the intersection of literary forms and social practices. An essential starting point is to ask what constitutes 'English' literature at this time. Romance, for instance, is read in the context of its cultural work of shaping masculine and feminine behaviours. Saints' lives and religious lyrics are read within the context of often gendered practices of belief such as pilgrimage and the cult of relics. Heroic texts provide the opportunity to investigate both the celebration and critique of militaristic culture. The unit is taught both in translation and through dual-language texts and has an introductory language-learning component in relation to selected texts... -- Course Website
Instructor: Professor Andrew Lynch
Prerequisites: any Level 1 English unit
