Medieval

Old English Literature: An Introduction

A lecture covering the historical and social context of Old English Literature as well as close readings of both "The Dream of the Rood" and "The Wanderer".

 Middle English Literature: An Introduction

An introduction to Middle English Literature, including: discussion of the historical context from Anglo-Norman period to the 14th Century, the development of the Middle English language, the medieval synthesis of Judeo-Christian faith and classical philosophy, Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy, and an analysis of Geoffrey Chaucer's "Truth" as representative of the medieval worldview. 

Reason and Revelation

Phillip Cary has compared the Western tradition to a body: the two legs of this body being the Greek and Hebrew traditions, the mid-section being the Middle Ages; the arms being the Renaissance and Reformation and the head being the Enlightenment. The two legs of this Western body, the Greek and Hebrew traditions, are marked by their emphases: the Greek tradition is marked by an emphasis on REASON; the Hebrew tradition is marked by an emphasis on REVELATION. This paper constitutes a preliminary reflection on this distinction inspired by Pascal's "Memorial", wherein he contrasts the "God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob" with that "of the philosophers and savants".