READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Week One Introduction

For the first day of class, read Shakespeare's Richard II in a modern, well-annotated edition.
Link to Gopher Version of Richard II (text only)

Week Two Langland's Piers Plowman

Langland's Piers Plowman, Prologue & passus 1
Text of Piers Plowman courtesy of the Electronic Text Project at the Univ. of Virginia
Outline of Piers Plowman B-Text (courtesy of David S. Wilson, Univ. of Chicago)

Hoyt Duggan's review of Tim Machan's Textual Criticism and Middle English Texts

Simpson, pp. 1-38
Facsimiles & reading sheet introduced this week.

Week Three Piers & Pedagogy

Piers, passus 2-7. Simpson, 39-188.
Hyptertext B passus 5

Week Four Piers & Pedagogy (con.)

Piers, passus 8-12. Simpson, 89-139. Pedagogy continues. First paper due this week.

Week Five Piers & Pedagogy (con.)

Piers, passus 13-17. Simpson 140-203. Pedagogy continues (if applicable).

Week Six Concluding Piers Plowman

Finish Piers and Simpson. Read Plowman section from MEPW.

Week Seven Biblical Narratives

Patience & Cleanness in Cawley
Read from Wycliffite Bible in MEPW and Jonah from Wycliffite Bible [handout].

Week Eight Spiritual Visions

Pearl in Cawley
Text of Pearl courtesy the Univ. of Virginia Electronic Text Project
(Yogh rendered as the number 3. Text only.)
(Available from: Oxford Text Archive, U-1686-A 1993)
Prophetic section from MEPW.

Week Nine Spiritual romance

Read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in Cawley or in Norton translation.
Text of Sir Gawain from Univ. of Virginia
(Available from: Oxford Text Archive, U*-62-A) 

Week Ten Richard's troubled reign

Section on Richard II from MEPW.
Robertson, "A Brief Chronicle," Chap. 4 of Chaucer's London [on Reserve] and Gradon, "Langland and the Ideology of Dissent" [on Reserve].

Review of McKisack and of historical issues.

Week Eleven Chaucer's writings

Portraits of the Monk, Friar, Clerk, Parson, Summoner, and Pardoner from the General Prologue of The Canterbury Tales.
The Friar's Tale and The Summoner's Tale.
Relevant sections from Cooper's The Canterbury Tales [on Reserve].

Week Twelve Lollardy and satire

Piers the Plowman's Crede, The Plowman's Tale, and Why I Can't Be a Nun in 6ES
Introduction to Why I Can't Be a Nun
Text of Why I Can't Be a Nun

Week Thirteen Anticlerical writings

Jack Upland, Friar Daw's Reply, Upland's Rejoinder in 6ES.

Week Fourteen Anticlerical writings

Anticlerical section from MEPW. Final research paper due during finals week.
Link to TEAMS anticlerical texts including "Preste, Ne Monke, Ne Yit Chanoun," "Of Thes Frer Mynours," "Thou That Sellest the Worde of God," "Lo, He That Can Be Cristes Clerc," "The Wycliffite Bible: from the Prologue," & "Allas, What Schul We Freris Do"
[Note: give me some time to grade these essays before the final grades are due!]

I reserve the right to add or delete readings or to make new assignments or eliminate existing assignments as needed during the course of the semester.