Essay Instructions: Your short essays should meet the following specifications:

Essay 1 is due by Tuesday of Week 4, Essay 2 by Tues. of Week 8. Essays must be turned in by 4 p.m. on that day to receive full credit.

You may address any of the topics below in your essay. It is difficult to cover much in only 1-2 pages, so choose a topic that you can cover effectively in approximately 250-700 words. Your essay should contain a complete, well-presented argument supported by evidence. A clear, succinct thesis will be a key to writing a strong argument. As evidence you should cite specific examples from your readings. To do this you may

  1. use line and page numbers in parentheses in the text--for example (38 ln. 3) or (45 lns. 20-4)--to direct me to a section of text or
  2. quote short sections of text and then cite their line/page number in parentheses in the text--for example, you might quote Beowulf this way: "Unferth was silent" (51 ln. 859).

I will expect to see citations in the text. You must use them; however, that does not mean that you need to pepper your paper with quotations. I prefer that you paraphrase or cite line numbers, as quoting can take up too much of your 250-700 words. Under no circumstances should your essay be more than 2 1/2 pages of text. If your essay runs longer, edit the text for conciseness; DO NOT DECREASE MARGIN SIZE, FONT SIZE, OR SPACING BETWEEN LINES TO CREATE MORE SPACE. Most of the essay should be your own words and analysis, not the words of others or of your text.

Take me seriously when I say, "Essays that do not meet these guidelines will be returned and grades will be lowered if you have to turn the revised essay in after the Week 4 deadline." If you have questions about these guidelines, please ask; I’ll be happy to help.

Topics for Essay 1
Topics for Essay 2
Topics for optional Essay 3

Topics for Essay 1

  1. Bede's account of the history of the English "nation" depicts a people united by the Roman Catholic faith. Yet, by reading "The Conversion of Kind Edwin," "The Story of Imma," and "Caedmon's Hymn," one can also find many values of Anglo-Saxon society alongside the Christian elements. Considering these three works, analyze at least one secular element from each of the three works that you think is indicative of the society's values and culture and explain the significance of each to the people of Bede's day (the 7th century).

  2. Because valor and bravery in battle are valued in Anglo-Saxon warrior culture, one's fame or reputation becomes a means to ensure that one will live forever in the minds of others. Yet, the closing lines of Beowulf may suggest that striving for fame and reputation is not always a good thing. Some have read those closing lines as a negative comment on reputation as a motivation in Beowulf's life. How do you think the poem portrays reputation? Take sides on the controversy: is striving for fame a positive force in the poem or a negative force? Find evidence in the text to support your case. This should not be just about Beowulf's striving for fame, but about the picture of reputation generated by the entire work.

  3. As readers of Anglo-Saxon poetry in translation, you are not encountering the text in the same way as a reader of the same text in Anglo-Saxon would. The translators' choices with regard to words and poetic form help to shape your understanding of the text. Compare and contrast the translation of at least 15 lines of "The Wife's Lament" in your textbook (Kevin Crossley-Holland, trans.) to the corresponding section of one of the other translations I've provided online. Pay special attention to how each translator's choice of words affects such elements as symbolism, imagery, and rhythm; look also at stanza form and line structure (how the sentences fit into lines and stanzas). Note that one of the translations is in prose. If you choose to analyze this translation, take that into account. In your essay, make sure to identify each translator by name and refer to the text by the name. Since all three versions are called "The Wife's Lament," I need to know whose "Wife's Lament" you are discussing.

  4. Referring to examples from The Cotton Maxims, discuss the function of gnomic wisdom in any one of the works we have read thus far. Draw some conclusions about how gnomic wisdom is used to create meaning in that text. What elements sound like gnomic wisdom? Are any of these elements found in the Cotton Maxims or do they just sound similar? Why do you think the author included those maxims in the text? How do they relate to the lives of the audience? What do they tell us about the importance of certain aspects of life and their significance in an heroic culture? Perhaps the most important aspect of an essay on this topic will be developing a thesis that you can prove through evidence from the Maxims and the text you choose.

  5. In many ways, "Judith" is similar to Beowulf in its themes of valor and triumph and its use of descriptive terms to characterize the protagonist and antagonist and their respective followers and homes. Compare and contrast the heroes of these two Anglo-Saxon poems. How are their heroes similar to or different from each other (besides the obvious gender difference)? Some things, among others, that you might consider include their evil antagonists, the way in which the heroes' deeds are represented, and the terms used to describe the heroes.

  6. Some common themes in Anglo-Saxon literature include the reciprocal relationship between lords and their thegns, heroism in warrior culture, exile, the relative importance of orality and literacy in the establishment and maintenance of a common culture (secular Anglo-Saxon and/or Christian), the clash between paganism and Christianity, and the role of women as peace-weavers. Choose any one of these themes as it appears in any one work that we have read so far, and discuss how the work portrays that theme. Since these can be very large topics, you will need to develop a limited thesis and prove it using carefully selected evidence from your chosen text. For example, you might argue that Beowulf calls into question the success of peace-weaving as a practice, or, perhaps, argue that Bede uses rhetorical strategies, such as [identify strategies here], to show the superiority of Christianity over paganism. The more specific your thesis is, the more easily you can choose your evidence and focus your argument effectively.

Topics for Essay 2

  1. Considering the depiction of males and females and their relationships in Marie de France's Lanval and Bisclavret, decide which work has the most ambivalent depiction (a mixture of good and bad characteristics) of either sex, and argue your case. Who is portrayed as flawed yet good and in which work do you see this best? You should prove the characters' ambivalent portrayal by citing examples of their words or actions, the reactions of other characters, or the narrator's commentary.

  2. Compare and contrast the depiction of Lanval's beautiful mistress to Bisclavret's wife. In what ways are they similar to each other in motives, action, demeanor, desires, and/or social position, in what ways different?

  3. Considering Lanval, argue that Marie's adjustments to the Arthurian legend (her "glossing") and her presentation of the lai in her "Prologue" are appropriate to her position as an educated, multi-lingual, noble woman.

  4. In Sir Gawain Arthur and his knights are beardless, young men. The poet emphasizes their youth throughout the first fitt. Argue that this depiction of the youthful court of Camelot is integral to the plot, action, and/or structure of the poem. Cite evidence of youth as a motivating device for action or plot and/or as a structural element for the poem as a whole.

  5. Discuss the ways in which the symbolism of Gawain’s pentangle both reflects the positive aspects of his character and indicates those areas of his personal make-up that are revealed as less than perfect as the poem progresses. Cite evidence of the connection between the shield and these positive and negative character traits.

    6.
  6. Sir Gawain contains many textual diversions in which the poet describes something or someone at length (e.g., the passing of the seasons, the dressing of Gawain, Bercilak's court, the three hunts, etc.). Choose any lengthy diversion and show how it is significant and/or integral to the action or plot of the poem’s storyline.

  7. Choose any one of the following Arthurian texts--Geoffrey of Monmouth, Gerald of Wales, Ed I's letter to the Pope and the Scottish response to it, Lanval--and analyze the ways in which it might be used as propaganda for a particular social or political agenda ( e.g., establishing British identity, legitimizing a ruler's right to rule, or questioning an established tradition, etc.). You might want to read introductions to the text carefully to gain a sense of the appropriate cultural situation, but you will also need to explore examples of the text's rhetoric to prove your case.

  8. Analyze one of the 12th-century Arthurian accounts we've read (Geoffrey's, Gerald's, or Marie's [Lanval]) and show how it either legitimizes or subverts the authority of kingship. Which elements might tend to support and reinscribe a king's power (and, thus, be taken to reinscribe the power of the Anglo-French nobility over the Celts and women in Britain)? Which elements might tend to subvert the traditional authority structures of Anglo-Norman Britain and offer alternative readings that acknowledge Celtic or female authority?

  9. Open Topic -- Create a thesis that presents an argument regarding a text or a pair of texts we have read. At least one of the texts chosen must be from the Anglo-Norman period (those referred to above), but a second could be from the Anglo-Saxon period. Do not deal with more than two texts for this short essay. Possible topics might include themes, structure, translation (analyzing two different translations of one text), audience, use of a text as a source for the study of culture, etc. If you're concerned about your topic, clear it with me via email first. I will be reading email while I'm out of town.

Topics for optional Essay 3

  1. Open Topic -- Create a thesis that presents an argument regarding any text or a pair of texts we have read. Do not deal with more than two texts for this short essay. Possible topics might include themes, structure, translation (analyzing two different translations of one text), audience, use of a text as a source for the study of culture, etc. If you're concerned about your topic, clear it with me via email first.

  2. Compare and contrast the portrayal of Arthur's last battle in "The Day of Destiny" with that in John Boorman's film Excalibur. Which of Malory's details does Boorman choose to keep? Which does he change? Are any characters portrayed differently in the film? How do Boorman's changes affect the focus, message, or impact of the episode? Why do you suppose he made those particular changes? Do they improve on the original in any way?

  3. Examine the disintegration of the Round Table as it is portrayed in "The Poisoned Apple" and "The Day of Destiny" and argue in favor of one cause as the primary reason that Camelot fell apart.

  4. Discuss the portrayal of Guinevere and her role in the final downfall of her husband's court as they are depicted in "The Poisoned Apple" and "The Day of Destiny." What impression do you have of the queen as a person? How do the actions of the knights and Mordred indicate things about Guinevere and her role in events?

  5. Choose any portrait in the General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales and explicate it. What specific details does Chaucer include to help us understand the character? What do the details mean? How are the details significant to our understanding of the character described? Is the character portrait ideal or ironic? How can our understanding of the character in the GP help us to interpret the character's tale later on?

  6. Considering The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale, argue whether we should read her as a strong and positive female role model who can speak for women, as merely a well-disguised mouthpiece for standard male opinions, or as a something else. Does the fact that the Wife is a female character written by a man have any bearing on how we interpret her and/or her words?

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