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fandomhigh2005-11-01 09:46 am
geoff-chaucer.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2005-11-01 09:46 am
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Introduction to Western Literature, Lesson Two
Tuesday, November 1, 1:00PM FST
[Upon entering the classroom today, students will find Professor Chaucer leaning against the window, looking outside and twirling a quill pen. He seems distracted, but he has a ready smile for each of students as they arrive.]
Today we begin the first part of our discussion of your first assigned reading, the anonymous Old English epic poem, Beowulf.
[Lecture]
Epic: The epic is a broad genre of poetry, which retells in a continuous narrative the life and works of a heroic or mythological person or group of persons.
One factor that distinguishes epics from other forms of narrative poetry is scale: epic poems tend to be too long to be read or performed in a single sitting. A second distinguishing factor is stylistic: epic poems are written in what might be termed 'high style', avoiding popular meters and verse patterns. For example, an epic written in English would not use the ballad form.
Thirdly, epic poems always deal with persons and events that are considered to be historically real by the poet and their audience. In oral cultures, the learning and performance of epic poems frequently formed an integral part of the education of the poet and, by extension, the audience.
The fourth distinguishing factor is 'the epic hero cycle'. The hero in an epic poem tends to follow a predictable cycle of events that is repeated in epics from every sort of culture. Although the cycle may repeat upon itself and vary slightly in order from epic to epic, the general points of the cycle include:
--a test (of worthiness to complete a quest)
--a main antagonist, often supernatural
--a magical world, unable to be visited by a normal human, that the hero visits (for example, the underworld or the world of the gods)
--a resurrection (either from being dead or from a dead-like state of mind, such as an unwillingness to complete the quest -- this can also include a hero who was thought to be dead and was rediscovered)
[Discussion]
For class today, we have two discussion topics. First, I'd like to discuss how your assigned reading, Beowulf, fits the definition of an epic. Second, I want each of you to answer this question: How can Beowulf's battle with Grendel be said to illustrate man's struggle with himself?. I'll also open class discussion on any particular points of the reading you'd like to talk about. Keep in mind that I only expect you to have completed the reading up through the battle between Beowulf and Grendel.
[Assignment]
**Assignment for next week: Complete your reading of Beowulf.
Announcement: I've gotten very little feedback on the Teaching Assistant position. Anyone interested -- and please, keep in mind that I do need an assistant -- should speak to me during class today or leave me a message on my voice mail.
[EDITED: Class space is available for anyone wanting to add!]
[Upon entering the classroom today, students will find Professor Chaucer leaning against the window, looking outside and twirling a quill pen. He seems distracted, but he has a ready smile for each of students as they arrive.]
Today we begin the first part of our discussion of your first assigned reading, the anonymous Old English epic poem, Beowulf.
[Lecture]
Epic: The epic is a broad genre of poetry, which retells in a continuous narrative the life and works of a heroic or mythological person or group of persons.
One factor that distinguishes epics from other forms of narrative poetry is scale: epic poems tend to be too long to be read or performed in a single sitting. A second distinguishing factor is stylistic: epic poems are written in what might be termed 'high style', avoiding popular meters and verse patterns. For example, an epic written in English would not use the ballad form.
Thirdly, epic poems always deal with persons and events that are considered to be historically real by the poet and their audience. In oral cultures, the learning and performance of epic poems frequently formed an integral part of the education of the poet and, by extension, the audience.
The fourth distinguishing factor is 'the epic hero cycle'. The hero in an epic poem tends to follow a predictable cycle of events that is repeated in epics from every sort of culture. Although the cycle may repeat upon itself and vary slightly in order from epic to epic, the general points of the cycle include:
--a test (of worthiness to complete a quest)
--a main antagonist, often supernatural
--a magical world, unable to be visited by a normal human, that the hero visits (for example, the underworld or the world of the gods)
--a resurrection (either from being dead or from a dead-like state of mind, such as an unwillingness to complete the quest -- this can also include a hero who was thought to be dead and was rediscovered)
[Discussion]
For class today, we have two discussion topics. First, I'd like to discuss how your assigned reading, Beowulf, fits the definition of an epic. Second, I want each of you to answer this question: How can Beowulf's battle with Grendel be said to illustrate man's struggle with himself?. I'll also open class discussion on any particular points of the reading you'd like to talk about. Keep in mind that I only expect you to have completed the reading up through the battle between Beowulf and Grendel.
[Assignment]
**Assignment for next week: Complete your reading of Beowulf.
Announcement: I've gotten very little feedback on the Teaching Assistant position. Anyone interested -- and please, keep in mind that I do need an assistant -- should speak to me during class today or leave me a message on my voice mail.
[EDITED: Class space is available for anyone wanting to add!]