- Course Code
- CE 4086
- Credit Points
- 30
- Course Coordinator
- Dr R O'Connor
Pre-requisites
Available only to students in Programme Year 4. Cannot be taken as part of a graduating curriculum with CE 3086: Tales of Vengeance and Enchantment: Medieval Irish Sagas A.
Overview
The course will study the narrative prose literature which was written in mediaeval Ireland between c.700 and 1200, and which drew on oral and literary traditions from the wider Gaelic-speaking world and beyond. It will explore narratives ranging from 'heroic' tales of cattle-raids and elopements to stories about Otherworld beings and voyages into the western ocean. The tales will be analysed (in translation) from literary and historical perspectives. The course falls into two halves. Weeks 1-5 will explore the kinds of stories these sagas tell and outline key themes in their 'narrative world'. Weeks 6-12 turn to the questions of how, when and why this literature was produced, and how we can best appreciate it. Topics covered will include kingship, heroism, women, the Otherworld, Christianity and paganism, orality and literacy, genre, foreign influence and scribal culture.
Structure
1 one-hour lecture followed by 1 two-hour seminar per week.
Assessment
1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (60%), assessed 2,500 word essay (30%), and seminar participation (10%).