Celtic 132 or permission of instructor. The class will consider the texts as folklore, as myth, and as literature, especially addressing the ways in which assumptions about genre affect the reading produced. Supplemental readings will address theoretical approaches to myth, folklore, and literature. Materials studied include the commentaries of Greek and Roman ethnographers, the archaeological record, and in particular the writings of the early Irish and Welsh themselves. The second half of the term will be devoted to questions of the reconstruction of Celtic paganism in the early modern period and contemporary neopaganism.
All materials read in translation.
Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 3686. It is suggested that this course be followed by Celtic 161. All materials will be available in English translation. Celtic 131 or permission of instructor. All works read in Welsh.