Comic Literature Through the Middle Ages
ENGLISH 90CL
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
Bad puns. Blasphemy. Codpieces. Corpse humor. Cougars. Cuckolds. Fart jokes. Dominant ladies. Funny drunks. Hypocrites. Incredible sex. Over-clever students. Priapic priests. Romance send-ups. Wimpy knights. Wit triumphant. These are some of the ingredients of humor covered in our survey of literature from 1100 to 1650. The ranges include drama, fabliaux, Latin lyrics, Chaucer, Middle Scots poetry, and other genres up to Rabelais and Shakespeare. With the help of Auerbach, Huizinga, Bakhtin, and other critics, you will develop an understanding of what constitutes humor from this period, as well as the serious institutions that invite a comic reflex.
Class Notes
This course satisfies the “Pre-1700 Guided Elective" requirement for English concentrators and Secondary Field students.
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
