THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY AND THE ANGLO-NORMAN WORLD

Credit Hours: 3 · Undergraduate Upper-Level

This course focuses on the most important secular work from the middle ages--a 230-foot long embroidery depicting the Battle of Hastings. We will consider the relationship between the textual and visual narratives of the historical events; the tapestry as an artifact and its history; its origin, date, purpose and patronage of the tapestry; the artistic context of the tapestry in the eleventh century; issues of narratology; and reception and visuality in the century. Several eleventh- and twelfth-century texts such as the "Chanson de Roland," the "Lais" and the "Fables" of Marie de France, "Le Jeu d'Adam" and "La Vie de Saint Alexis" will be examined with particular attention to the authors' desire to create a visual experience for the audience. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: HART 533 . Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for HART 433 if student has credit for HART 533 .