Your Professor
Professor Brian Ó Broin is a dynamic and passionate scholar whose work has made a significant impact on the study of the medieval period, particularly in Ireland. With a Ph.D. in Medieval Literature and Languages, he seamlessly blends his love for literature with the history of early Western Culture.
At William Paterson University, he teaches with infectious enthusiasm, engaging students in all fields of medieval studies, whether textual, historical, or archeological. His research and publications deal often with church history and he has a particular interest in Latin and Irish saints' lives. He is also involved in the traditional craft of storytelling, and has won storytelling prizes on both sides of the Atlantic. Professor Ó Broin's dedication to his field is evident not only in his academic contributions but also in his active involvement in organized scholarly worked. He has served as both President and Vice President of the American Society for Irish Medieval Studies.
The Course
This course's goal is to familiarize students with earlier English literature through close textual analysis of pivotal texts in English before the 19th Century. Students are expected to become highly conversant with the major authors and texts. The ultimate goal is to understand the significance of these texts in their own context as well as in the context of English-language literature right up to the modern day.
Students will be expected to gain basic abilities in early language and literature and be able to apply these abilities to all of the categories and situations described in the course objectives. Students will have sufficient proficiency to independently write mini-essays on the subject in a classroom examination setting.
A very popular feature of this course is the day-long trip to view the Medieval and early Modern Holdings at the Cloisters Museum in New York City.
A Sample Syllabus
(note that this is a sample and may differ greatly from the actual syllabus that you follow)
FIRST DAY OF CLASS
Introductions / Course Preview
Announcement of first prerequisite-knowledge popquiz (see Blackboard for more details).
Prerequisites Test (0%)
Introduction, "The Middle Ages" LA 7-15.
Discussion: "What is literature?"
Anonymous, "The Dream of the Rood" (c.950) (LA 148-152). Reading questions on Bb.
Beowulf introduction LA 32-36.
Anonymous, Beowulf (c. A.D. 1000), LA 36-60.
Note: Mon 12th Sept is the last day for a 100% refund on withdrawal.
Prerequisites Test (5%)
Anonymous, Beowulf (c. A.D. 1000), LA 60-85. Reading qq. on Bb.
Anonymous, Beowulf (c. A.D. 1000), LA 85-107. Reading qq. on Bb.
Introduction, "The Middle Ages" LA 15-30.
Introduction to Gawain, LA 219-221.
The Pearl Poet, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (c.A.D. 1385?), part 1. LA 222-247. Reading questions on Bb.
Documentary Film: "Sir Gawain and Green Knight"
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nAd6fffVvs
The Pearl Poet, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (c.A.D. 1385?), part 2. LA 247-end. Reading questions on Bb.
Introduction to Geoffrey Chaucer, LA 312-316.
Geoffrey Chaucer: Wife of Bath's Prologue (c. A.D. 1390?). lines 0-592 (p.388). Reading questions on Bb.
Note: if the Middle English is a problem for you, you can find an interlinear translation here. Do note, however, that we'll be working with the text in the Longman Anthology, and that is our primary text.
Geoffrey Chaucer: Wife of Bath's Prologue (c. A.D. 1390?), line 592 to end. For help with the text, see the notes above. Reading questions on Bb.
Note: Oct 4th is the last day for a 50% refund on withdrawal.
Geoffrey Chaucer: Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale (c. A.D. 1390?) to end (p.403). For help with the text, see the notes above. Reading questions on Bb.
MIDTERM
WELLNESS DAYS - NO CLASS
Introductions to Marlowe and Faustus, LA 1091 and 1110.
Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus (c.A.D. 1590?), Acts I-III. Reading questions on Bb.
Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus (c.A.D. 1590?), Acts IV-V. Reading questions on Bb.
Introduction to Milton, LA 1698-1701.
John Milton, "L'Allegro", "Il Penseroso", and "When I Consider How My Light Is Spent" (LA 1716). Reading questions on Bb.
OUTING TO METROPOLITAN MUSEUM - SEE GUIDE
Intro to Shakespeare LA 1199-1203.
Intro to Love's Labour's Lost.
William Shakespeare, Love's Labour's Lost (A.D. 1593), Act I.
William Shakespeare, Love's Labour's Lost (A.D. 1593), Acts II-III.
William Shakespeare, Love's Labour's Lost (A.D. 1593), Acts IV-V.
Intro to Dryden, LA 2074-2076.
John Dryden, "Mac Flecknoe" (A.D. 1684)
Intro to Wycherley, LA 2213-2215.
William Wycherley, The Country Wife (1675). Act I. Reading questions on Bb.
William Wycherley, The Country Wife (1675). Acts II-III. Reading questions on Bb.
NO CLASS TODAY
THANKSGIVING WEEK - NO CLASS
William Wycherley, The Country Wife (1675), Acts IV-V. Reading questions on Bb.
Introduction to Pope, and "Essay", LA 2438-2440.
Alexander Pope "An Essay on Criticism" (A.D. 1711). Reading questions on Bb.
Introduction to Swift, LA 2337-2339.
Jonathan Swift, "A Modest Proposal" (A.D. 1729). Reading questions on Bb.
Class will not meet today.
Oliver Goldsmith: "The Deserted Village" (read also the "response" by Crabbe that immediately follows it in the Longman text) (A.D. 1770). Reading questions on Bb.
Thomas Gray, "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard". LA 2670. Reading questions on Bb.
FINAL EXAM.