Essay #1
- Discuss the ways in which either King Horn or Havelok the Dane
reflects the values of its audience.
- How does the style of King Horn or Havelok the Dane help to
convey the poem’s theme or themes?
- How does the conception of the hero of King Horn differ from that
of Havelok the Dane?
Essays should be approximately 4-5 pages typed. Quotations must
be in Middle English and cited according to MLA format or other similar
guidelines (see http://www.csun.edu/~sk36711/WWW2/engl443/essayformat.htm
for more information). Essays which are not well proofread or have consistent
typographical, spelling, and/or grammatical errors will be penalized heavily at
my discretion.
You should make sure that you provide appropriate historical
context where necessary and explicitly define any technical or cultural terms.
Where character and place names have multiple spellings, choose one and use it
consistently except where you are quoting.
The due date is Friday, 5 April. Please place your essay under
my door (Sierra Tower 803) or give your essay to the English Department
secretaries by 5 pm). You may submit your essay in advance.
This site includes a page of tips for
writing essays about medieval literature. You are encouraged to apply the
principles illustrated on this page to your essays for other courses and your
writing in general.
Please e-mail me
if you have any problem reading the web site or if you have found a link which
you think should be added.
Essay #2
Choose one of the following essay topics:
- Examine the themes of Marie de France's Lanval and Thomas Chestre's
Sir Launfal. Discuss the extent to which Chestre has transformed the
tale, the effect of the transformation, and the possible reasons why Chestre
made his changes.
- Given the diverse origins of his motifs in Sir Orfeo (classical,
religious, folkloric, romance, Breton lay), to what extent does the poet
produce a story with a coherent or unified theme?
- In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the poet challenges either the
ideals of courtly society or, at least, of its literature. Discuss these
ideals and whether or not the Gawain-poet ultimately condemns them.
Notes:
- The phrase "de France" is not a last name; it means "from
France". When discussing to Marie de France in short form, use
"Marie". Last names only became common in the fourteenth century;
so you can refer to Thomas Chestre as "Chestre".
- When discussing the theme of a poem, do not simply identify a topic; you
must argue that the poem actually has something to say about that topic.
- You should make sure that you provide appropriate historical context where
necessary and explicitly define any technical or cultural terms. Where
character and place names have multiple spellings, choose one and use it
consistently except where you are quoting.
- Essays should be approximately 4-5 pages typed. Quotations must be in
Middle English and cited according to MLA format or other similar guidelines
(see http://www.csun.edu/~sk36711/WWW2/engl443/essayformat.htm
for more information). Essays which are not well proofread or have
consistent typographical, spelling, and/or grammatical errors will be
penalised heavily at my discretion.
Due Date: Monday, 20 May. Please place your essay under my door
(Sierra Tower 803) or give your essay to the English Department secretaries by 5
pm). You may submit your essay in advance.