This schedule refers to the two texts, Bradley and the Norton Anthology , listed at the head of the syllabus.

Proposed Reading Schedule, Part I, Readings in Old English Literature

• 1/13 Introduction to course and to "Old English"
  Follow up reading: Norton, "The Middle Ages" (1-6);
  "Old and Middle English Prosody [i.e., versification]" (19-20);
  Bradley, "Introduction" (xi-xxi). Then begin Beowulf
• 1/13 - 23 Beowulf (Bradley 408 - 94; cf. Norton 29-99); "Battle of Finnsburh" (Bradley 507-9)
• 1/27 "Heroic" literature; "Deor" (Bradley 362-5); "Widsith" (Bradley 336-40); "Cynewulf and Cyneheard" (from The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, photocopy / www);
• 2/1 - 3 "Battle of Brunanburh" (Bradley 515-18); "Battle of Maldon" (Bradley 518-28 ; cf. Norton 103-109)
• 2/3 - 6 The Conversion of England and religious verse; Bede's story of Caedmon (Norton 23-26); "Genesis B" ((Bradley 18-35); begin "Judith" (Bradley 495-504)
• 2/8 finish "Judith"
• 2/10 "Juliana" (Bradley 301-20)
• 2/13 - 15 "Dream of the Rood" (Bradley 158-63; cf. Norton 26-28)
• 2/17 Old English Elegies: "Ruin" (Bradley 401-2)
• 2/20 "Wife's Lament" (Bradley 382-5; cf. Norton 102-103)
• 2/22 "Wanderer" (Bradley 320-25; cf. Norton 99-102)
• 2/24 "Seafarer" (Bradley 329-335)
• 2/27 sample "Riddles" (Bradley 367 ff., 397, 403 ff.)
  • First Paper Due

Proposed Reading Schedule, Part II, Readings in Middle English Literature

(readings from Norton unless othyerwise specified)

• 3/1 - 3 introduction, "Anglo-Norman England" (7-9); from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" (110-15). The Brut tradition: Geoffrey of Monmouth, Wace, and Layamon (115-26 and www).
• 3/6 - 8 The Owl and the Nightingale (www)
• 3/10, Friday, MIDTERM
  • 3/13 - 16 SPRING BREAK
• 3/20 return midterm; (conclude O&N if necessary)
• 3/22 satire: "The Land of Cockayne" (www)
• 3/24 fabliau: "Dame Sirith" (www)
• 3/27 fable and beast story: Marie de France, "Fables" (140-41); "The Fox and the Wolf" (www); Robert Henryson, The Cock and the Fox" (439-45)
• 3/29 romance and "lai": Marie de France, "Lanval" (126-40)
• 3/31 - 4/5 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Dunn & Byrnes 377-459, translation in Norton 200-54)
• 4/7 - 12 dream vision and "allegorical" narrative: from Piers Plowman (Norton 317-49)
• 4/14 holiday (Good Friday)
• 4/17 recluse and conemplative: from Ancrene Wisse (153-55); Julian of Norwich (355-66)
• 4/19 Margery Kempe (366-79)
• 4/21 - 24 Drama, mystery plays: the Chester Noah play and the Wakefield "Second Shepherds' play" (379-419)
  • Monday April 24, Second Paper Due
• 4/26 - 28 Arthurian romance: from Malory's Morte Darthur (Norton 344-63)