ENG 4825/4826 Capstone: Selected Topics in Medieval Literature
TR 3:30-4:25
Medieval Afterlives
Medievalism—i. e., the remaking of the Middle Ages in post-medieval periods—is particularly common during times of social and political upheaval, and in this course we’ll examine this phenomenon. Why, for example, did the Proud Boys carry “medieval” shields at the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville in 2017? Why does Hitler appear as a medieval knight in a popular painting from the 1930s?
Less flagrant—but no less politically charged—is the use of the medieval in Jackie Kennedy’s crafting of her husband’s White House as a new Camelot or the virginity pledges of the Purity Culture movement.
Starting with the premise that to understand medievalism you must first understand the Middle Ages, we’ll read several primary medieval texts and then examine their appropriation in political and social contexts such as those mentioned above, as well as in media including film, graphic novels, video games, and high fantasy.
ENG 4825/4826 Capstone: Selected Topics in Medieval Literature
