ENGL 237(S) Gender and Desire 1200-1600 (Same as Comparative Literature 237 and Women's and Gender Studies 237) (Gateway) (W)
The Middle Ages invented-and the Renaissance refined-the notion of
"courtly love"-the humble devotion of an adoring knight to a beautiful but distant lady. In both its medieval and early modern versions, courtly love institutionalized the notion of the desiring male subject and the desired female object
that continues to reverberate in contemporary culture. But medieval and Renaissance works do not always, or even usually, endorse these positions uncritically,
and even works that elevate heterosexual love open up surprisingly large spaces
for other kinds of desire. What does it mean, for example, that the fountain of
Narcissus occupies the center of the garden of courtly love in the Romance of the
Rose? That despite the Lover's proclaimed desire to "possess" the Rose, it is the
male God of Love he kisses on the mouth? Shakespeare's comedies end famously with triple and quadruple marriages, but how should we read the cross-
dressing and gender confusion that occupy so much of the plots beforehand? As
we explore these and other issues, we will supplement our literary readings with
theoretical texts drawn from medieval and Renaissance treatises as well as contemporary feminist, psychoanalytic, and queer theory. The goal of the course is
to sharpen critical reading and writing skills across a broad range of literary
forms and historical, cultural and aesthetic values.
Format: discussion/seminar. Requirements: class participation, four or five papers of varying lengths including one revision, and occasional oral reports.
Prerequisite: a 100-level course, except 150. Enrollment limit: 19 (expected: 19).
Preference given to first-year students, sophomores, English majors who have
yet to take a Gateway, and potential Comparative Literature majors.
(Pre-1700)