Quest, Vision, Diaspora: Medieval Journey Narratives

Medieval texts explored ideas of self, love, rite-of-passage, spirituality, and group identity through narratives of travel, both imagined and real. We will read romance quests that foray to fairylands and wastelands, visionary journeys to hell, pilgrimages of self discovery, an epic exodus that founds King Arthur's nation, and a 14th-century round-the-world travelogue. Chaucer, Malory, Kempe, Mandeville, Layamon, Anonymous. Middle English readings. Not open to first-year students. Enrollment limited.