Literature and History of the Medieval Celts

Successful participants will be able to:

(1) comprehend and explain important concepts and themes from medieval Celtic literature and history;

(2) apply the knowledge gained during this course to an analysis of an assigned text and to present this analysis in writing in a clear and appropriate manner.

One of the tools required in order to successfully interpret a medieval Celtic text, is to know as much as possible about the circumstances under which it was produced. This historicist approach is common in the field of Celtic studies. In the first four lectures of this course, students will be given a brief overview of medieval Irish literature; medieval Irish history; medieval Welsh literature, and medieval Welsh history. After this, important concepts and themes relating to medieval Welsh and Irish history and literature will be examined, compared and contrasted. This will be done by reading background literature, and by closely analysing texts relating to a particular weekly topic, such as king Arthur, honour and status, the role of women, pseudo-history, and childhood.