Obscure Enigma of Desire
RL&L 232
Spring 2021 not offered
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| Crosslisting:
MDST 232 |
This course is an introduction to the study of the ways we create meanings when we read texts. It will focus on several deliberately obscure literary texts from twelfth-century France and will examine them in the light of the classical and medieval concepts of enigma, the marvelous (wonderful), fabula, and allegory as well as some modern theoretical works about how we understand narratives. We will seek to understand why deliberate obscurity is an important part of literature and how medieval authors created narratives that seem particularly meaningful precisely because they are obscure. We will consider why we feel these texts have meaning and the ways in which we make them meaningful to us. This course will be co-taught in parallel with a course (in English) on the same subject offered at the Charles University in Prague by Professor Lucie Dolezalova. About half of the classes will be conducted together with the class in Prague through teleconferencing and Professor Dolezalova will teach one week of the course at Wesleyan and meet with students while she is here. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA RLAN |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (FRST-MN)(FRST)(MDST-MN)(MDST)(MDST-Art/Arch)(MDST-History)(MDST-Lang/Lit)(MDST-Phil/Reli) |
Major Readings:
Hugh of Saint-Victor, ON THE THREE DAYS
Richar of Saint-Victor, THE GRACE OF CONTEMPLATION
Selections from Quintillian, Cicero, Donatus, Saint Augustine, William of Conches, Abelard, Thomas Aquinas
Chrétien de Troyes, THE KNIGHT OF THE CART AND THE STORY OF THE GRAIL
Marie de France, LAIS
THE QUEST OF THE HOLY GRAIL
Paul Ricoeur, HERMENEUTICS AND THE HUMAN SCIENCES
Jan Ziolkowski, "THEORIES OF OBSCURITY IN THE LATIN TRADITION"
Robert Guiette, "FORMAL POETRY IN FRANCE IN THE MIDDLE AGES," and "THE ADVENTURE OF FORMAL POETRY"
L. Doležalová, Jeff Rider, and Alessandro Zironi, OBSCURITY IN MEDIEVAL TEXTS
Karl F. Morrison, "HERMENEUTICS AND ENIGMA: BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX¿S DE CONSIDERATIONE"
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Examinations and Assignments:
Frequent short essays. |
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