Arthurian Legend

(4 Credits)

Beginning with early stories of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table, the course focuses on masterpieces of French, English, and German medieval literature. Through the European literary tradition, students examine larger problems of the development of medieval literature: the conception of history, the rise of the romance genre, the themes of courtly love, the code of chivalry, and philosophical and theological questions as the Arthurian material is developed through the stories of the Holy Grail.