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Description: |
Chaucer’s reputation as “Father” of English sometimes obscures his claims to other superlatives: funniest (lol) and wittiest, most book-learned, most outrageous, most intellectually curious, most experimental. His alter ego, Geffrey, occupies the heart of many of his fictions, and this entirely likeable, intensely intimate, but totally elusive persona creates enormous pleasure and provocation. His portrayals of sexual relations and gender identities have unsettled and enriched the expectations of all readers over more than six centuries. We will explore and enjoy his greatest poetry, including the Canterbury Tales and Troilus and Criseyde, arguably the best long poem ever written in English. The course aims to create an indelible impression of Chaucer’s writing, and a broad appreciation of medieval culture. We will read and recite Chaucer’s distinctive words and sounds, memorable in themselves and in opening new vistas on the language we now speak. Writing includes a series of response papers, as well as a longer final paper and take-home final. |