01   MTH2  CAC  70717   KLEIN  BH-211

01-Monsters and Heroes in the Beowulf Manuscript This course has two goals: 1) to improve students’ reading skills in Old English, the language written and spoken in England from roughly 450 to 1100 AD; and 2) to develop skills in critical thinking and writing that are necessary for undertaking large-scale research projects in literary studies. We will focus mainly on Beowulf, the longest surviving Old English poem, and a text that has been treated from almost every critical perspective imaginable. Inhabited by monsters, pagans, and a hero whose fame derives from both his handgrip and his kindness, Beowulf offers extraordinarily rich ground for exploring the language and culture of England before the Norman Conquest of 1066. One of the most interesting aspects of Beowulf is its manuscript context: the poem appears in the Nowell Codex, sometimes referred to as a “monster codex” on account of the many fiendish and otherworldly creatures that appear in the various texts contained within it. As we read and discuss Beowulf, we will also work to situate the poem in its original manuscript context and to consider how intertextual analysis and the materiality of texts may affect practices of reading and reception, whether medieval or modern.  In addition to Beowulf, texts may include the Old English Letter of Alexander to Aristotle, the Old English Judith, the fragmentary Life of the dog-headed Saint Christopher, and Wonders of the East.  Attendance Policy: Students are required to attend class having prepared the assigned translations. Means of Evaluation: translation assignments, oral presentations, several short response papers (2-3 pp), one longer seminar paper (15-20 pp), and one exam.