Parallel Universes (Medieval Literature -- Advanced)

3 credits · Undergraduate

In-depth study of Medieval French narrative literature (12th – 15th centuries) through the motif of the “other world”, whereby the protagonists gain access to a hidden, parallel world. Various examples and literary genres will be considered: lays (Faerie, the land of Cocaigne, etc.), Arthurian romance (the forest of Brocéliande, the island of Avalon, etc.), Alexandrian romance (the terrestrial Paradise, the enclosed land of Gog and Magog, “India” and “Ethiopia”, etc.), real and imaginary travel narratives (Saint Brendan’s Island, Cipangu [Japan], etc.), visions of the afterlife (Heaven, Hell, Purgatoire de Saint Patrice, etc.) or the Apocalypse. Texts will be studied in bilingual editions (Old or Middle French / Modern French), with occasional unilingual excerpts. PREREQUISITES: 3000-level French literature course EXCLUSIONS: FREN 3300.03 FORMATS: Seminar