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Essay 1 | Essay 2 | Sir Isumbras Assignment

Sir Isumbras Assignment

Read Sir Isumbras (771 lines) in your textbook or here. Write a short essay (maximum 2 pages) comparing the poem’s representation of (a) animals to that found in Octavian or (b) Saracens to that found in Octavian or King Horn. Note the use of “or” in the previous sentence. Do not try to do too much; your aim should be for conciseness.
Some things to consider:

  1. What kind of a work is Sir Isumbras? Who was its likely audience?
  2. How are the genre and conventions of Sir Isumbras similar to or different from the poem to which you are comparing it?
  3. This assignment tests your ability to read and interpret a medieval text without my help using the knowledge you have gained in this course. Although there is no ticking timer, you should be able to complete this assignment quickly and with no research. You should not let this assignment take too much time away from your final essay (it may even help you with the final essay).
  4. This assignment also tests your ability to write concisely and correctly (the number one complaint of employers about college graduates is that they cannot do so). Don’t even think about turning in the assignment without running it through a grammar and spelling checker.

Turn in the assignment by clicking the “Sir Isumbras Assignment” link in Moodle.

Due Date: Tuesday, May 10, 2011 by midnight.

Essay 2

  1. Athelston and Octavian flirt with a number of forms of justice based on different types of authority. Discuss the various types of justice and the social tensions they illuminate or attempt to resolve using either or both peoms.
  2. Octavian is a tale of family separation and piety set against a backdrop of confrontation with the pagan world. Choose one of these topics (family separation, piety, or confrontation with the pagan world) and discuss the social circumstances which may have given rise to the poem's treatment of the theme, and what it has to say about that theme.
  3. The question of whether violence is socially productive underlies the plots of a number of Middle English romances. Using Athelston or Octavian, describe the poem’s depiction of violence and his view of its possible value. In addition, discuss what social contexts might have given rise to the author’s views.
  4. It has often been suggested that Middle English romances were produced for popular (non-courtly) audiences. Does this mean that they are fundamentally less sophisticated in their treatment of important social issues than those produced for aristocratic audiences? You may use any of the romances we have studied, but at least one of the romances you treat must be Athelston or Octavian.

For background reading, please see the Resources page.

Grading Criteria:

Essays should be typed and approximately 1500-3000 words. Essays will be graded substantially on your ability to write and format clear and effective scholarly prose, and you should take your editing practices VERY seriously. Essays should conform to the expectation of good, university-level writing style and the conventions of literary criticism following MLA or other style guidelines. Be especially careful to quote poetry according to the proper format. In order to save time, I will indicate common errors in the margins of your essays using number codes. You will find that consulting the Essay Writing Key before you turn in your paper will improve your essay. For more information on the mechanics of writing and writing about medieval literature, see my Essay Writing Guide.

Quotations must be in Middle English for the essay to receive a passing grade. You do not need to translate the Middle English unless you are discussing a possible ambiguity in the meaning.

Due date: Thursday, May 19, 2011 at midnight . Essays should be submitted using Moodle (you can login from the course home page). Just login, click on Essay 2 , and follow the instructions.


Essay 1

Choose ONE of the following questions:

  1. King Horn and Havelok the Dane conflate issues of personal, social, ethnic, and national identities. Using either poem--or comparing both--discuss the ways in which the poem(s) grapple with questions of identity.
  2. King Horn survives in three manuscripts from various dates. Using the information in your book (pp. 13-14) and the online texts, examine the differences between the three manuscripts. Discuss (a) what is likely to have caused the differences, (b) the impact of these differences on the poem's meaning, and (c) the editor's choice to use a version of the Cambridge manuscript with normalised spelling.
  3. In the Middle Ages, strict divisions between genres of fact and fiction were not observed, so that romance could pose at some level as history. Using either King Horn or Havelok the Dane, discuss how the poet uses this porous, or possibly even cavalier, view of reality to examine a larger issue.
  4. The function of medieval romance is typically viewed today as holding up a mirror through which the medieval aristocracy could examine critically their own values—but ultimately uphold them. Using either King Horn or Havelok the Dane, discuss how well this assessment fits the poem you have chosen.

For background reading, please see the Resources page.

Grading Criteria:

Essays should be typed and approximately 1500-3000 words. Essays will be graded substantially on your ability to write and format clear and effective scholarly prose, and you should take your editing practices VERY seriously. Essays should conform to the expectation of good, university-level writing style and the conventions of literary criticism following MLA or other style guidelines. Be especially careful to quote poetry according to the proper format. In order to save time, I will indicate common errors in the margins of your essays using number codes. You will find that consulting the Essay Writing Key before you turn in your paper will improve your essay. For more information on the mechanics of writing and writing about medieval literature, see my Essay Writing Guide.

Quotations must be in Middle English for the essay to receive a passing grade. You do not need to translate the Middle English unless you are discussing a possible ambiguity in the meaning.

Due date: Friday, April 22, 2011. Essays should be submitted using Moodle (you can login from the course home page). Just login, click on Essay 1, and follow the instructions.

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