Dr. Bankert 3 credits

          In 1343, when Chaucer was born, it was still more common for writers to “publish” anonymously than to attach their names to the work they produced. The idea of an author as the creator of original work was largely foreign. What was valued in the centuries before Chaucer’s birth was the transmission through copying and retellings, essentially (though more in theory than practice) unchanged, of the literary heritage of past generations. The “author” as such, was not materially important. This attitude was not to survive Chaucer who, perhaps more than any other writer, transformed the literary landscape, figuring so large in his own work that it is impossible to read it without being constantly aware of his presence. It is a presence, however, that is filtered through complex and brilliant narrative lenses. Rather than merely survey Chaucer’s work in this class, we will investigate Chaucer’s presentation of himself and his attitude toward narrative authority and literary fame, his own and that of the literary past on which much of his work is based. The readings are selected with this focus in mind, chiefly those less often taught—the so-called “minor poems”:  The House of Fame, The Legend of Good Women, Troilus and Criseyde, The Book of the Duchess, The Parliament of Foules,” as well as some of the short poems. We will explore the editing and editorial history of Chaucerian texts, examine some contemporary medieval manuscripts in Carrier Library, and generally explore the concept of literary authority and fame, as well as secondary scholarship on these issues. This course satisfies the period and genre requirements of the English major.

Required Course Texts: 
The Riverside Chaucer
Essays as assigned

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