PRELIMINARY SYLLABUS -- SUBJECT TO CHANGE -- PRELIMINARY SYLLABUS E352K: Arthurian Literature & Film UT Austin English Department—Spring Semester, 2020 Course meets: Office Hours: Professor: Daniel Birkholz Office Phone: Office: E-mail: Unique #: 35560 Writing Center: 211 Flawn;471-6222 COURSE DESCRIPTION: Using literature and film (plus visual art and popular culture), this course examines how the conventions of medieval courtly love and chivalric romance have been utilized—often parodied—from the fourteenth century to the twenty-first. We will move from medieval classics like Sir Gawain & the Green Knight and Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte Darthur, through nineteenth-century romanticism and American pragmatism, to twentieth-century British historical fantasy (T.H. White, Mary Stewart), neo-pagan feminism (Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon), and beyond (Neil Gaiman; the graphic novel Camelot 3000; Monty Python and the Holy Grail). Show-stoppers to include Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court; some unspeakably bawdy medieval fabliaux; and our very own Arthurian film fest. Texts required for purchase: Marie Borroff, tr., Sir Gawain & the Green Knight (Norton: 978-0393930252) Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur (Oxford World Classics: 978-0-19-953734-1) Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (Penguin: 978-0140430646) Corrigan, A Short Guide to Writing about Film (Norton/any recent edition) Materials available on Canvas: Arthur & Merlin in Latin, French, and Early Welsh Chronicles (selections) Chrétien de Troyes, Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart T.C. Kennedy, tr., “Poems about Love, Women & Sex from B.L. Harley 2253” Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Mists of Avalon (selections) Mary Stewart, The Crystal Cave (selections) Alfred Lord Tennyson, “The Lady of Shalott”; “Lancelot & Guenevere” William Morris, “The Defense of Guenevere”; “King Arthur’s Tomb”; “Sir Galahad” T.H. White, The Once and Future King (“The Ill-Made Knight”) Barr & Boland, Camelot 3000, Issue 1 (graphic novel) Jagoda; Kline; Tene; Noone & Kavetsky: Essays on Chivalric Gaming Neal Gaiman, “Chivalry” Requirements & Grading: (percentages approximate & subject to change) Arthurian Encounters Journal (5 entries x 3-4 pp; peer/prof feedback; revision) 50% Take-Home Essay Exam (integrative essay prompts distributed in class) 15% Final Examination (short answer; passage ID; reading facts; devious matching) 15% In-Class Performance (preparation, discussion, engagement, peer feedback, citizenship) 20% On-time Attendance (every absence beg. w/#3 will reduce ICP grade; NC at #5) Required All assignments must be completed satisfactorily to receive any passing grade for the course Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing. English Major Area: Area D (beginnings to 1630) Plus-Minus Grading: yes PRELIMINARY SYLLABUS -- SUBJECT TO CHANGE -- PRELIMINARY SYLLABUS Course Policies: Late work will be downgraded, typically one half-level (A- to B+; B+ to B) for each day late, and will be returned at my convenience, typically with limited commentary. Short extensions (final draft of Film Paper only) can probably be arranged—given documented cause. Please note that arrangements must be made in-person and in advance, not after the fact (and not via email/voicemail). This policy includes cases of illness and crisis. Because grades are due soon afterward, on-time completion of Final Exam (including delivery of Take-Home Essay) is required and non-negotiable. Also required (impossible to reschedule) are our Peer Conferences, the timely production and reading of paper-drafts for which is crucial. If you anticipate difficulty in fulfilling these or other course requirements, due to unavoidable conflicts or (as the term unfolds) the onset of documented illness or family crisis, contact instructor immediately. All Papers (prospectuses not included) must be double-spaced and grammatically clean, and adhere to MLA or Chicago style guidelines; proofreading is essential. Include title page and bibliography; provide your name, my name, date, course title & unique number; number all pages after the first; and print on one side only. Failure to prepare work properly may result in the withholding of credit, as well as reduction of grade. Except where indicated, papers may not be submitted via email; hard copy only! Keep a copy of all work and back up your computer files appropriately, both during and after writing. In-class work (e.g. quizzes, process work) cannot be made-up for full-credit. All assignments (including final exam and prospectus/draft/peer-feedback activity) must be completed satisfactorily & in a timely fashion in order for you to receive any passing grade for the course. Regular attendance and class participation are also required to pass the course; all absences (with the exception of holy day observance) will affect your ‘In- Class Performance’ grade negatively, but if you must miss class, alert me in advance. In the event that you amass five absences (for whatever reason, except holy days), you should make official plans to drop the course. If you have questions/concerns of any kind, do not hesitate to bring them up. Please note: the best way to contact me is to attend office hours. Email is fine for brief questions but not substantive ones. Additional University Policies: Honor Code: The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the university is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community. Academic Integrity: Any work submitted by a student in this course for academic credit will be the student's own work. For additional information on Academic Integrity, see http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/acadint.php Documented Disability Statement: The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact Services for Students with Disabilities at 471-6259 (voice) or 232-2937 (video phone) or http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd Religious Holy Days: By UT Austin policy, you must notify instructor of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, you will be given an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence. PRELIMINARY SYLLABUS -- SUBJECT TO CHANGE -- PRELIMINARY SYLLABUS Schedule of Readings and Assignments (subject to change) Tuesday, Jan. 21: Welcome to Camelot: Course Architecture & Expectations Film Clip: Thorpe, Knights of the Round Table (1953) Film Clip: Spielberg, Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade (1989) Film Clip: Ritchie, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017) Thursday, Jan. 23: Group A: Arthur in Latin Chronicles & Early Welsh Tradition [C] [55 pp] Group B: Prose Merlin / Suite de Merlin [C] [58 pp] Film Clip: Disney, The Sword in the Stone (1963) Course Policies & Procedures Quiz Tuesday, Jan. 28: Chrétien de Troyes, Lancelot: The Knight of the Cart [C] [79 pp.] Film Clip: Junger, Black Knight (2001) Introduction to Arthurian Encounters Journal Thursday, Jan. 30: Chrétien de Troyes, Lancelot cont’d Film Clip: Rohmer, Perceval le Gallois (1978) Friday, Jan. 31, MIDNIGHT: Arthurian Encounters Journal Entry 0 due to Tourney Group Introduction to companions; background experience w/medieval literature; early or notable encounter with King Arthur / Camelot; Chivalric Storytelling 101: the most chivalric thing you’ve ever done Tuesday, Feb. 4: Sir Gawain & the Green Knight, parts 1-2 Thursday, Feb. 6: Sir Gawain & the Green Knight, parts 3-4 Friday, Feb 7, MIDNIGHT: List of 5 (non-Arthurian) medieval articles due to Tourney Group Tuesday, Feb. 11: Sir Gawain & the Green Knight, cont’d Thursday, Feb. 13: Fabliaux from British Library Manuscript Harley 2253 [C] XI. The Knight of the Basket (264 ll.) XII. The Three Ladies Who Found a ***** (318 ll.) XIII. The Wager (108 ll.) XIV. The Knight who Could Make ****s Talk (294 ll.) Friday, Feb 14, MIDNIGHT: Arthurian Encounters Journal Entry 1 due to Tourney Group Choose one of our medieval texts; put in conversation with your chosen medieval article; be sure to stay textual and foreground details/specifics on both sides (primary source + secondary source) Tuesday, Feb. 18: Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book I (Uther to Arthur) (3-81) [78 pp] Film Clip: Boorman, Excalibur (1981) Thursday, Feb. 20: Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book III (Lancelot) 95-119 [25 pp] Book IV (Gareth) 120-167 [49 pp] PRELIMINARY SYLLABUS -- SUBJECT TO CHANGE -- PRELIMINARY SYLLABUS Film Clip: Logan, Camelot (1967) Tuesday, Feb. 25: Malory, Le Morte Darthur, from Book V (Galahad/Lancelot) 281-303 [22 pp] Fuqua, King Arthur (2004) Thursday, Feb. 27: Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book VI (Sangrail) 310-402 [93 pp] Film Clip: Gilliam, The Fisher King (1991) Friday, Feb. 28: List of 5 “wild-card” (non-Arthurian) Articles due to Tourney Group Tuesday, March 3: Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book VII (Lance & Guen) (403-67) [65 pp] Film Clip: Bresson, Lancelot du Lac (1974) Thursday, March 5: Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book VIII (Morte Darthur) (468-527) [59 pp] Film Clip: Gilliam & Jones, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) Friday, March 6, MIDNIGHT: Arthurian Encounters Journal Entry 2 due to Tourney