As the quarter progresses, you will become proficient at reading, understanding, and translating Old English poetry and prose, to the point that you will be able to read Beowulf in the original the following quarter. We will come to a better understanding of what it means to translate Old English and the ways in which studying Old English can make you a more sensitive reader of Middle English and Renaissance literature. We will also talk about the ways in which studying Old English provides a different perspective on language change and language diversity, and hence a new perspective on the language that you speak. This course will be valuable for students interested in both medieval and later periods of literature, as well as students intereseted in historical and modern language study.
Undergraduates are welcome.
Expect regular translation and grammar exercises. While technically a graduate course, ENGL 512 is also an introductory language class. In the winter, Professor Sally Mussetter will teach the next course in the sequence, ENGL 513, in which students will read Beowulf in Old English.