English 344

The Arthur of the Britons

Office hours for fall term: M 11:00-12:00; T 10:30-11:30; F 3:00 - 4:00; or by appointment

“As the French book saith”: this is a favourite phrase of Sir Thomas Malory, whose Morte Darthur transmitted the stories of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table to a fifteenth-century English audience. The phrase acknowledges Malory’s debt to the French Arthurian cycles of the thirteenth century, but Malory’s book is not simply a translation of French originals. The title of this course, “The Arthur of the Britons,” reflects an emphasis on stories about King Arthur produced or read in the British Isles, whether in Latin, English, French, or Welsh. The course will look at Arthur as a British phenomenon, and to that end will concentrate on detailed discussion of three major British Arthurian texts, in their historical and cultural contexts.

The first work we will read is Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain, the twelfth-century Anglo-Latin chronicle which offered the first connected narrative of Arthur’s life and death. Geoffrey’s Arthuriad is embedded in an account of the history of Britain, from its founding by Trojan refugees, to the final passage of control over the island from the native Britons to the invading Saxons. The civil wars of Geoffrey’s own time colour his emphasis on the rise and fall of kings and kingdoms, and the foundation myth with which he begins his history remained a powerful political and ideological tool throughout the Middle Ages and into the early modern period.

Next we will read the Alliterative Morte Arthure, a fourteenth-century English poem in the chronicle tradition. Like Geoffrey’s work, it takes Arthur’s campaign against the emperor of Rome as the centrepiece of the king’s reign. In form and language it is often trenchantly English, echoing older poetic forms and the heroic world of the epic, even as it displays clear awareness of the courtly world of (French) romance.

Finally, we will work through the whole of Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur, exploring how he refashions his sources – how he treats love, war, and the spiritual quest for the holy grail – to create his own version of Arthur.

Throughout the course, we will read other literary texts that provide crucial context for the British Arthurian tradition. We will look at Welsh Arthurian tradition through early Welsh poetry and through some of the tales in the collection now called The Mabinogion. We will also read the French Quest of the Holy Grail. Geoffrey’s History, the Welsh texts, and the Quest will be read in translation. We will read the Alliterative Morte Arthure and Malory’s Morte in Middle English.

The following texts have been ordered from the Bookstore:

Geoffrey of Monmouth, The History of the Kings of Britain, trans. Michael A. Faletra (Broadview)

King Arthur's Death, ed. Larry D. Benson and James Dean (TEAMS; also available for free online)

The Quest of the Holy Grail, trans. Pauline M. Matarrasso (Penguin)

The Mabinogion, trans. Sioned Davies (Oxford World's Classics)

Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, ed. Stephen H. A. Shepherd (Norton Critical Editions)

Note that some of the links in the syllabus are not yet (September 29, 2012) live; in addition, remember that this version of the syllabus will be updated throughout the course, so you should get in the habit of checking it regularly

Reading Schedule: September

W 5 – F7 Introduction: King Arthur in History

I will refer to material found on pp. 218-38, 278-85, and 287-91 of The History of the Kings of Britain, ed. Faletra

Visit the Arthur in History page

Visit the Arthurian Chronology page

M 10 Welsh backgrounds

How Culhwch Won Olwen in The Mabinogion; “The Apple Trees,” pp. 239-41 in The History of the Kings of Britain; Preiddeu Annwn (online)

Manuscript mashup #1: have a look at these works in their original contexts and language (links to the right), and E-MAIL ME a sentence each about two of them

(see the Assignments Page)

Afallenau starts on folio 24v of NLW MS Peniarth 1, the Black Book of Carmarthen

Preiddeu Annwn starts on folio 25v of NLW MS Peniarth 2, the Book of Taliesin

Culhwch starts on folio 200v of Oxford, Jesus College MS 111, the Red Book of Hergest

and on folio 79v of NLW MS Peniarth 4, the White Book of Rhydderch

NB: The last two links take you to the manuscript, but you will have to navigate from there to the specific folio

W 12 Geoffrey of Monmouth

History of the Kings of Britain: Dedicatory Epistle: pages 41-42

Visit the Geoffrey and British History page

Visit the Chronology of the Historia regum Britannie page

Visit the Geoffrey’s Britain page for a map of all the locations mentioned, with information and links

F 14

Brutus and his descendants: pages 43-83

Manuscript mashup #2: still just looking… check out the opening of the Historia regum Britannie in these manuscripts, and E-MAIL ME a sentence each about four of them

(see the Assignments Page)

Oxford, Bodleian Library 514 (or search in ArtStor through the Library)

Oxford, Bodleian Library Laud Misc 579 (search in ArtStor through the Library)

Cambridge, Corpus Christi College 281 (or use Parker Library through the Library)

Cambridge, Corpus Christi College 292 (or use Parker Library through the Library)

Philadelphia, Free Library Lewis E 247 (Digital Scriptorium)

M 17

The Romans and the Saxons: pages 84-129

RESEARCH TOOLS ASSIGNMENT DUE THIS DAY

(see the Assignments Page)

This assignment should be sent to Daniel Helbert by e-mail (address given out in class). If you missed getting the address, you may send your assignment to sent to Siân Echard by e-mail, and I will forward it.

For other research tools, visit the Arthurian Resources page

Visit the Roman Britain page

W 19

Merlin and Uther: pages 130-62; also pp. 239-59 and 276-77

Visit the Merlin page

F 21

The Arthuriad and after: pp. 163-217

Visit the Arthur of the Welsh page

Visit the Geoffrey’s Reputation page

M 24 The Alliterative Morte Arthure

Introduction: Reading Middle English: lines 1-77

Visit the Reading the Alliterative Morte Arthure page

W 26 – F 28

The challenge: lines 78-755

October

M 1 – W 3

Dreams, dragons, giants: lines 756-1221; also The Dream of the Emperor Maxen, in The Mabinogion

F 5

Fighting the Romans: lines 1222-2374

TRANSLATION ASSIGNMENT HANDED OUT THIS DAY

Visit the Roman Wars page

Visit the Translating the Alliterative Morte page for samples as you work on the assignment

M 8

THANKSGIVING

W 10 - F 12

Arthur the Conqueror: lines 2375-3217

Manuscript mashup #3: the crane shot: medieval anthologies

We can only access the Thornton Manuscript via a facsimile in the Library, but have a look at another famous anthology that contains many romance texts (and many other things as well), the Auchinleck Manuscript, and E-MAIL ME a short paragraph about it.

(see the Assignments Page)

TRANSLATION ASSIGNMENT DUE FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12

(see the Assignments Page)

Visit the Gawain page

M 15 – W 17

The Morte D’Arthur: lines 3218-4346

CLOSE READING ASSIGNMENT HANDED OUT WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17

Visit the Arthur and Fortune page

F 19 – M 22 The Quest for the Holy Grail

Visit the Galahad page

Visit the Perceval page

M 22

Manuscript mashup #4: pretty pictures

Have a look at these manuscripts of the French Vulgate cycle, including the Queste, and E-MAIL ME a sentence each about 4 of them:

(see the Assignments Page)

BL Royal 14 E iii

BL Royal 20 D iv

Arsenal 3347

Arsenal 3480 (volume 1 and volume 2)

W 24 Thomas Malory

Morte Darthur

F 26

Caxton and Winchester (pp. 814-19)

Visit the Caxton and Winchester page

M 29

Early Arthur (pp. 3-40)

Visit the Arthurian Swords page

W 31

The rest of The Tale of King Arthur (pp. 40-112)

CLOSE READING ASSIGNMENT DUE THIS DAY (NOTE NEW, LATER DATE)

(see the Assignments Page)

Visit the Morgan le Fay page

Visit the Guenevere page

November

F 2

The Roman Wars (pp. 113-151)

M 5

Manuscript mashup #5: playing with Winchester

(see the Assignments Page)

Visit the Malory Project site and explore the Winchester manuscript and Caxton’s edition. Come to class prepared to work in small groups with the manuscript (pages will be supplied). After class, E-MAIL ME a short paragraph about the experience.