ENGL4925.01 Spring 2015 Ats: Lit Approach To Past [Weiskott]

This course is a study of literary narratives set in the distant past, spanning 500 years of literary history. Questions to be addressed include: Of what use is the past to the present? Is anachronism always an error? Does the meaning of the past change over time? We consider why an array of writers, including Thomas Malory, William Shakespeare, and Mark Twain, chose to tell tales of long ago. Some course readings in Middle English; no prior knowledge of Middle English required.