Dogs, Trial by Combat, and Other Medieval Animal Stories

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Did you know that King Charlemagne had a pet elephant? Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. Animals are everywhere in medieval literature: animals brought from far away, animals that speak with human voices, dogs that fight trial by combat, hunting hounds, roosters that are full of themselves, and foxes too clever for their own good. We will explore the literary significance of animals, and how animals influence and become integral to cultural ideas – up to and including what it means to be a human being. Animals will serve as our point of departure to learn about fundamental concepts and skills essential to the study of literature. Together, we will discuss a wide range of stories from the Middle Ages, practice literary analysis, and learn to hone our analysis and our skill at writing with essays and research about animals in the literature of the Middle Ages.