ENGL 459: Modern Arthurian Literature
Dr. Debora B. Schwartz
Winter, 2008

Calendar of Readings and Research Assignments
NOTE:  DO NOT PRINT OUT THIS CALENDAR OF ASSIGNMENTS!! It is intended to be consulted online.
(Print-out would be VERY long . . . and specific assignments are subject to change.)
If you must print something out: cut-and-paste assigned readings into a new document OR
print the Oral Presentation Schedule (contains primary but not background readings for wks. 3-10).

Week  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

NOTE 1: Readings in REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS will be indicated on the course calendar as follows:

NOTE 2: some required readings are to be accessed electronically.  Please note that all such readings should be PRINTED OUT and brought with you to class.  Electronically accessed readings may be in one of the following forms: NOTE 3: Research assignments (found in the right-hand column, below) will guide you in using some of the research tools accessible through the Kennedy  Library website to identify and obtain appropriate secondary sources (scholarly criticism) on your research topic. Contrary to popular belief, most reputable scholarly resources are NOT available for free over the Web to anyone.  They are found in expensive, subscription-only databases which take an increasingly large bite out of the Kennedy Library's Materials Acquisition budget each year -- so you owe it to yourselves to use them effectively!  You can access subscription databases and other restricted resources from off campus in one of three ways:  through the Library Resources tab in Blackboard; through the Library Services tab on your MyCalpoly web portal (click on Robert E. Kennedy Library to access the library website); or directly from the Kennedy Library website using any web browser (Internet Explorer recommended).  To access restricted subscription-only researches from the web, you will be prompted to log in using your PolyCard barcode, the 14-digit number beginning 20150 on the front of your PolyCard, or you can log in at MyPolycat each time you visit the Kennedy Library site.

NOTE 4: This calendar is subject to change.  You are advised to consult it on-line and/or to print out only one day's or week's assignment at a time.  Please remember that the on-line calendar, not any print-out you make, is authoritative.  Check weekly to ensure you are completing the correct assignment, as instructions may change or be added.

Week 1  (January 7-9)
 
Day  INTRODUCTION to ENGL 459: course organization, requirements and expectations.

Overview of Readings (sign-up for research topics at our next class meeting).

If possible (and if you are reading email over break!), it would be helpful for you to read COMPLETELY through our class homepageand at least SKIM the lefthand column (topic and reading assignments) on this calendar of assignments PRIOR TO OUR FIRST CLASS MEETING.

Also, because sign-ups for Oral Presentations will begin at our second class meeting, you are advised to read through the Oral Presentation Guidelines and have a look at the Schedule of Oral Presentations,

RECOMMENDED background reading assignment: 

  • Translatio studii et imperii. Online reading on the roots of the Arthurian legend and medieval transformations of the Arthurian tradition.  REQUIRED READING prior to the Midterm Exam!
  • HB (= The Arthurian Handbook) CH 1-2 (on the historical development of Arthurian literature). You should at least have skimmed these chapters prior to the midterm exam, paying particular attention to any works or authors referred to on the online Translatio reading.
HOMEWORK to be completed before our second class meeting: if you have not already done so, read COMPLETELY through the class homepage and familiarize yourself with this calendar of assignments. Decide on on up to three research topics/dates when you would like to present in class (sign-ups at next class meeting).  Prepare Day 2 required readings (below) before our next class meeting.  If you have time, do Day 2 research assignment (at right) as well; otherwise, you can leave it to catch up on over the week-end.		 In this class, you will hone your research skills using a number of electronic research tools accessible online through the Kennedy Library's subscription databases.  Please be aware that little if any material found using standard web search engines (Google, Lycos, etc.) is suitable for citation in a research paper.  Relatively few reliable scholarly journals,  ebooks  or encylopedias are currently available free on the web (although many valid scholarly resources can be accessed through online subscription databases).

With the exception of reputable scholarly work (e.g. unpublished conference papers, original or previously published essays, book chapters or journal articles) made available by an academic author, in an online scholarly journal, or on the website of a scholarly project, material found on the web is HIGHLY UNLIKELY to be suitable for citation in a research paper.  If you DO choose to use Web Search Engines for your research, be sure to consult Research Step 6: Finding and Evaluating Web-Based Resources for tips on how to evaluate the scholarly validity of a website or resource found online.

Day 2 Research Assignment :  Introduction to Kennedy Library Research Tools.  NOTE: if you cannot complete this assignment before our second class meeting, be sure to CATCH UP on the week-end!

  • READ:  Preliminaries I: Types of Sources and Preliminaries II: Modes of Access (follow links to specific assigned sections of Dr. Schwartz's Guide to Kennedy Library Research Tools). Note: you can print out the full document, or read the assignment online.  Either way, be aware that your assignment for day 2 is ONLY the specific "Preliminaries" sections listed above -- not the whole document!
  • SKIM MLA HB chapters 1-3 (so you'll know what's there).  Pay particular attention to the existence of section 3.2, an overview of basic punctuation rules,  pp. 80-94.  Get in the habit of double-checking this section if you have a tendency to misuse semi-colons, commas, etc.
  • READ CAREFULLY MLA HB sections 3.3 on italics (or underlining) and 3.6 on the Titles of Works (in the chapter entitled "The Mechanics of Writing").  You will need to be clear on this information to write correct bibliographic citations for future Practicum assignments -- starting with our first class meeting next week!
When you come to class, you should be able to:
  • list the 5 kinds of sources (primary, plus four kinds of secondary source) and know the meaning of these terms.  NOTE:  the Guide to Research Tools also outlines how to find these kinds of resources and provides basic models for documenting them correctly). 
  • list the 4 modes of access we will use to obtain secondary source materials for this class. 
  • know what "SFX" and "PolySearch"are (and be aware of their limitations). 
  • Know basic MLA rules for transcribing the titles of works in bibliographic citations.  You will need to know:

    •     -- when to use italics/underlining and when to use quotation marks for titles (what sorts of work use each).
        -- that you should never mix italics and underlining in the same document;  pick ONE and use it CONSISTENTLY. (NOTE: for work submitted to me, please use only UNDERLINING, not italics.)
        -- how to indicate a normally underlined (or italicized) title within another underlined (or italicized) title.
        -- how to indicate a normally quotation-marked title (or a quotation) within a quotation-marked title.
        -- that an underlined title remains underlined when it is incorporated into a quotation-marked title.
        -- how to handle punctuation (or subtitles) within the title of a work. 
        -- which words (e.g. parts of speech) should be capitalized in a title.
Please be aware that specific rules govern the punctuation, capitalization, and use of underlining/italics in titles.  If you simply reproduce the formatting found on the title page of a given work or in a Polycat, Link+ or MLA Bibliography entry, you may lose points for incorrect formatting of your bibliographic citations!
Day 2 I. The "Classic" Arthur:  T.H. White's The One and Future King

Readings:

  • HB 137-8, 181-2.
  • OFK (= The Once and Future King) 9-209 (The Sword in the Stone). BE SURE TO FINISH BEFORE CLASS MEETING!!
  • If you have not already done so, be sure to read COMPLETELY through our class homepageand this calendar of assignments.   Also read through the Oral Presentation Guidelines, have a look at the Schedule of Oral Presentations, and consider which dates/topics you are most interested in (including some alternates). Sign-ups begin today in class!.
ALSO: Look over this Calendar of Assignments and pick several topics/dates you are interested in for your oral presentation (and ideally, your final paper); you will sign up for a topic/date today at our class meeting.

FINALLY: Don't forget that there is a required RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT AT RIGHT!  If you don't have time to complete it prior to our class meeting, no worry . . . as long as you DO complete it over the week-end!

REMEMBER: You are responsible for information covered in required readings and in research assignments  (although we will not spend significant time talking about these assignment in class). 

If  I perceive that students are NOT keeping up with research assignments (and/or course readings), I reserve the right to reinstate UNANNOUNCED SPOT QUIZZES in ENGL 459!!  I hope this won't be necessary, as quizzes mean 1) more for me to grade; and 2) less time in  class for far more interesting conversations . . . So PLEASE do us all a favor, and KEEP UP WITH RESEARCH ASSIGNMENTS AND READINGS!

Note:  If QUIZZES happen, they will be worth 10% OF YOUR CLASS GRADE!!

Week 2    (January 14-16)
 
Day 1 The One and Future King, cont.

Reading: 

  •   OFK 211-312 (The Queen of Air and Darkness).
 Research Archive Assignment 1: Finding Print Resources in Kennedy Library Collections

PRELIMINARIES: Read carefully through the profile of Polycat on Dr. Schwartz's Guide to Kennedy Library Research Tools.  Be sure you are clear about what Polycat is, what it contains, when (and why) to use it, its strengths and its limitations. 

Then, click on the link below and read through the instructions for your first research assignment Research Step 1: Kennedy Library via Polycat.  ASK DR. SCHWARTZ IN CLASS if you have any questions about what you will need to do this week.

RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT: Follow the directions in Research Step 1: Kennedy Library via Polycat, to locate some  useful secondary sources -- studies ABOUT your author, topic or work, not an edition of the text itself  -- in the Kennedy Library collections.  Check at least one out. 

Also, BROWSE THROUGH THE LIBRARY RESERVE LIST and CHECK OUT several works on reserve that appear to have potential for your research topic.  There are DEFINITELY some useful sources on reserve for EVERY research topic.

The linked page of directions will also guide you through writing your first two research reports, "Polycat Search Results" and "Kennedy Library Checkouts," and submitting them to the class research archive.

Reminder: the class research archive is located in a Blackboard "Discussion Board."  To access Blackboard, log in at MyCalpoly, go to "Blackboard Access" and select "ENGL 459-02" from the classes you are taking; then click on "Discussion Board" and enter the "forum" for the topic you researching.  (I will create a separate "forum" for each of you under the research topic you sign up for at our second class meeting.)
Day 2 The One and Future King, cont.

Reading: 

  • The Once and Future King 313-514 (The Ill-Made Knight).
NOTE: by our class meeting on M 1/28, you must have watched TWO assigned filmic adaptations of T.H. White, both of which are on reserve for this class (in VHS) under the following calls numbers:  Group screenings in Library 202 can be arranged upon request.  For any group screenings, a volunteer will be needed to pick up the key to Library 202 and the video on reserve for this class at the Circulation Desk.

Week 3    (January 21-23)
 
Day 1 NO CLASS--HAPPY MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY!
  • OPTIONAL: Group Screening(s) in Library 202 of one or more of the films assigned for next Monday, 1/28, can be scheduled over the week-end upon request.
 Research Archive Assignment 2: Using LINK+ to identify and order secondary sources not in Cal Poly's collections.

PRELIMINARIES: read carefully through the description of LINK+ and its profile on
Dr. Schwartz's Guide to Kennedy Library Research Tools.  Be sure you are clear about what it is, what can be borrowed from it, when (and why) to use it, its strengths and its limitations. 

Then, click on the link and read through the detailed instructions for the second research assignment: Research Step 2: Using LINK+.  ASK DR. SCHWARTZ IN CLASS if you have any questions on what you need to do.

RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT:   By following the directions in Research Step 2: Using LINK+, you will learn how to use LINK+ to identify and order additional secondary sources from cooperating libraries. Note that LINK+ can be used to order books only -- not bound journals and periodicals.  It is fast -- books ordered through LINK+ typically arrive within 2-3 days. 

The directions will also guide you though submitting your next two research reports to the class research archive, "LINK+ Search Results" and "LINK+ Orders 1." 
Day 2 The One and Future King, cont.

Reading: 

  •  OFK 515-639 (The Candle in the Wind).
PRESENTATIONS (up to two): 
  • Katy Wright (on T.H. White's Pacifism).
  • Kat Gibbs (on T. H. White's Lancelot).
NOTE: by our next class meeting, you must have watched BOTH assigned films, which you can find on reserve for this class (in VHS) under the following call numbers:  Group screenings in Library 202 can be arranged upon request. 

Week 4    (January 28-30)
 
Day 1 Adaptations/Continuations of T. H. White:  1) Lerner and Loewe's musical Camelot; 2) Disney's animated The Sword in the Stone; 3) T. H. White's The Book of Merlyn (posthumously published conclusion to The Once and Future King).

Remember that the films The Sword in the Stone (79 min.) and Camelot (179 min.) MUST BE SCREENED BEFORE CLASS TIME!! You can find them on reserve for this class (in VHS) under the following calls numbers: 

Group screenings can be scheduled in room 202 of the library, or see on your own (at the library), or rent and see at home.  I encourage you to patronize Insomniac, SLO's fabulous independent video store (2161A Broad, between South and Branch; tel. 545-8866). 

Suggested Double Feature group screenings in Library 202: 

Camelot: Sunday 1/27, 2-5:30 PM? (or TBA)
Sword in the Stone: Sunday 1/27, 6:30-8:00 PM? (or TBA)
REQUIRED Readings:
  • HB (=The Arthurian Handbook) 257-64;
  • Alice Grellner, "Two Films that Sparkle: The Sword in the Stone and Camelot" (from Cinema Arthuriana, ed. Kevin J. Harty [New York: Garland, 1991], pp. 71-81; .PDF file, 10 pp., on e-reserve in the Library Resources section of Blackboard.  A slightly modified version of this essay (with different pagination) is found in the updated edition of this book on reserve in the Kennedy Library under the call number  PN1995.9.A75 C5 2002.
  • Elisabeth Brewer's analysis of T. H. White's The Book of Merlyn (from her T.H. White's The Once and Future King [Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer; New York: Boydell and Brewer, 1993], pp. 150-164.  This book is on reserve for ENGL 459 under the call number  PR6045.H2 O534 1993; the excerpt is in a .PDF file, 9 pp., on e-reserve in the Library Resources section of Blackboard);
  • Excerpts from T.H. White's The Book of Merlyn (chosen by presenter Calvin Cantrell to illustrate points he will make in his presentation); .PDF file, 13 pp., on e-reserve in the Library Resources section of Blackboard. NOTE:  full text is on reserve for ENGL 459 in the Kennedy Library under the call number PR6045.H2 B6. 
  • John Steinbeck, AKA (=The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights) vi-xiv, Author's Dedication and Introduction (.PDF file, 4 pp.), on e-reserve in the Library Resources section of Blackboard; to be read in preparation for Wednesday's assigned readings).
NOTE: Because the above readings are shorter than usual, it is strongly recommended that you get started on the reading assignment for Wednesday over the week-end.

PRESENTATIONS (up to two): 

  • Emilie Egger (on the Wart's animal transformations in Disney's animated The Sword in the Stone)
  • the musical Camelot (film version; if desired, can also consider differences between stage and filmed versions)
  • Calvin Cantrell (on T. H. White's The Book of Merlyn).
 Research Archive Assignment 3: Using the MLA Bibliography to identify secondary sources (and then figuring out how to access them!) 

PRELIMINARIES: read carefully through the profile of the MLA Bibliography on Dr. Schwartz's Guide to Kennedy Library Research Tools .  Be sure you are clear about what it is, when (and why) to use it, its strengths and its limitations. Read information on SFX and its limitations.  (Remember:  the MLA Bibliography is NOT itself a mode of access for secondary sources.)  Review information on ILL (Interlibrary Loan) as a mode of access distinct from LINK+. Then, click on the link to read through the detailed instructions for your next research assignment: Research Step 3: Using the MLA Bibliography to Identify Additional Sources on Your Topic (and then figure out how to access them!).  ASK DR. SCHWARTZ IN CLASS if you have questions about what you need to do.

RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT:   By following the detailed instructions on Research Step 3: Using the MLA Bibliography to Identify Additional Sources on Your Topic (and then figure out how to access them!), you will learn to use the MLA Bibliography to identify additional secondary sources on your topic and Interlibrary Loan to access articles not available at Cal Poly (as well as books which are unavailable at Cal Poly or through LINK+). The directions will also help you prepare your next research reports for the class research archive, "MLA Search Results" and "ILL Orders" (as well as "LINK+ Orders 2" if applicable).
Day 2 John Steinbeck, The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights (=AKA);  Introduction to the Victorian Arthur / Tennyson's The Idylls of the King (=Idylls)
NOTE: What the Victorians "knew" about Arthur is what's found in Malory's Morte Darthure, represented for our purposes by excerpts from John Steinbeck's retelling of Malory, The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights (=AKA).  Because this text is apparently out of print, it was listed at the bookstore as "recommended," but please note that the readings listed below ARE required (and will be made available on e-reserve in Blackboard; the full text is on reserve for ENGL 459 in the Kennedy Library under the call number PS3537.T3234 A64).
Readings: 
  •  John Steinbeck, AKA vi-xiv (Author's Dedication and Introduction -- review texts assigned for Monday); AKA 77-96 ("The Wedding of King Arthur"); AKA 207-293 ("The Noble Tale of Sir Lancelot of the Lake"); selections from Steinbeck's correspondence found in the Appendix pp. 297-8 (through letter dated 12/3/56), 317-19 (letter of 7/7/58), and 342-4 (letter od 5/13/59).  These readings are available on e-reserve in the library resources section of Blackboard (or you can consult the full text on reserve in the Kennedy Library under the call number PS3537.T3234 A64).  If you don't have a copy of this recommended textbook, be sure to PRINT OUT THE REQUIRED READINGS AND BRING WITH YOU TO CLASS!;
  • Tennyson's Project: Idylls 19-20, "Dedication" (also online); Idylls 301-2, "To the Queen" (also online);
  • Tennyson's Arthur: Idylls 21-35, "The Coming of Arthur" (also online); Idylls 288-300, "The Passing of Arthur" (also online); 
  • Background: HB 128-33, 137-8, 157-64, 171-5, 217-48;
  • Fatal Kisses (medieval): Dante, Inferno, Canto V: Paola and Francesca (.PDF file, 4 pp., on e-reserve in the Library Resources section of Blackboard).
  • RECOMMENDED: Fatal Kisses (modern): Steinbeck's Writer's Block (full text of AKA Appendix, pp. 296-364; full text is not on e-reserve, but interested parties may consult it in the book on reserve for ENGL 459 in the Kennedy Library under the call number PS3537.T3234 A64).
POSSIBLE PRESENTATIONS (up to two): 
  • Tennyson's Project ("Dedication" and/or "To the Queen").
  • Tennyson's Arthur ("The Coming of Arthur" and/or "The Passing of Arthur"); may include relevant Pre-Raphaelite illustrations and/or images from Camelot Project "Arthur" links.
  • Amber Hudson: Steinbeck's Writer's Block (on the material found in the Appendix to AKA, pp. 296-364). This appendix is too long to put on e-reserve as a whole, but you ARE required to read the letters selected by Amber which are on e-reserve.  Interested parties who did not purchase this recommended text can consult it on Reserve for ENGL 459 in the Kennedy Library under the call number PS3537.T3234 A64. 

Week 5    (February 4-6)
 
Day 1 Tennyson's Lancelot, Guinevere and Elaine

Readings: 

Optional (also recommended; great fun if you have time!): POSSIBLE PRESENTATIONS (up to two): 
  • Tennyson's Lancelot; may include relevant Pre-Raphaelite illustrations and/or images from Camelot Project "Lancelot" links.
  • Lizzy Gilbert (on Tennyson's Guinevere; may include relevant Pre-Raphaelite illustrations and/or images from Camelot Project "Guinevere" links).
  • Carla Benevedo (on Tennyson's Elaine; may include relevant Pre-Raphaelite illustrations and/or images of ELAINE from Camelot Project "Elaine of Astolat/Lady of Shalott" links).
NOTE: by our next class meeting, you must have watched the assigned film, which you can find on reserve for this class (in VHS) under the following call number:  Group screenings in Library 202 can be arranged upon request. 		 Research Archive Assignment 4: FindingFull-Text Journal Articles in Kennedy Library Subscription Databases

PRELIMINARIES: Read about electronic modes of access and the profiles of the four Kennedy Library subscription journal databases we will use to look for full-text, electronically accessed journal articles on Dr. Schwartz's Guide to Kennedy Library Research Tools.  Be clear about what each database includes, what to use them for, and their advantages and disadvantages.  Carefully read information on SFX and on Polysearch (and their limitations).    Know what to add to the citation of a journal article citation accessed electronically  through a subscription database. 

Then, click on the link for detailed instructions for the fourth research assignment: Research Step 4: Using Full-Text Subscription Databases in the Kennedy Library Collections.  ASK DR. SCHWARTZ IN CLASS (or at an office hour) if you have questions about what you need to do.

RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT:   The detailed instructions in Research Step 4: Using Full-Text Subscription Databases in the Kennedy Library Collections will help you learn to search for full-text journal articles on your topic in four of Cal Poly's subscription databases.

The directions will also help you prepare your next four research reports for the class research archive: "Muse Results," "EAI Results," ASE Results" and "JSTOR Results."

    * * * * *
Begin work on RESEARCH PAPER PROSPECTUS, OUTLINE AND WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY, DUE IN IN CLASS ON W 2/20 (or with prior permission, NO LATER THAN 6 PM ON FRIDAY, 2/22 ).  Your Prospectus must include a working title which clearly identifies the work(s) discussed as well as the topic of your paper; a fully articulated thesis (not just a statement of general topic); a tentative outline of paper; and a working bibliography of at least eight sources, alphabetized and listed using correct MLA bibliographic format (consult your MLA Handbook!).  Be sure to include at least one example of each of the required Types of Source and Modes of Access  specified in the Prospectus guidlines.
Day 2 Victorian Sensibilities: Other Visions of Guenevere and/or Lancelot

Remember that First Knight (1995, dir. Jerry Zucker, 134 min.) MUST BE SCREENED BEFORE CLASS TIME!! It is available in VHS on reserve for ENGL 459 under the call number 398.2 AR77F (Vid.C.). 

Group screenings will be scheduled in room 202 of the library, or see on your own (at the library), or rent it and see it at home.  I encourage you to patronize Insomniac, SLO's fabulous independent video store (2161A Broad, between South and Branch; tel. 545-8866).

Readings:

Optional (also recommended; great fun if you have time!): PRESENTATIONS (up to two): 
  • Kelly Kennedy (on William Morris, "The Defence of Guenevere"; may include relevant Pre-Raphaelite illustrations and/or images from Camelot Project "Guinevere" links).
  • The evolution of Lancelot and Guinevere from Tennyson's "Sir Launcelot and Queen Guinevere: A Fragment" (1842) to the Idylls (comparative analysis).
  • The use of Arthurian themes in Tennyson's "Lady of Shalott" (in addition to the reference to Lancelot, consider e.g. the connection to the fate of the Elaine of the Idylls -- two women who meet their doom due to their infatuation with the unavailable Lancelot).  May include relevant Pre-Raphaelite illustrations and/or images of the LADY OF SHALOTT from Camelot Project "Elaine of Astolat/Lady of Shalott" links.
  • Mary Vause (on Guinevere and/or Lancelot in Jerry Zucker's 1995 film, First Knight).

Week 6    (February 11-13)
 
Day 1 Visions of Merlin / Fatal Women:  Vivian, Morgan, Nimue

Required Readings: 

  • Steinbeck, AKA 3-47 ("Merlin"); AKA 99-123 ("The Death of Merlin"); AKA 109-123 ("Morgan le Fay"). 
  • Tennyson, Idylls 142-67, "Merlin and Vivien" (also available online); 
  • Robert Buchanan, "Merlin's Tomb" (1859; online reading -- PRINT OUT and bring to class!); 
  • Tennyson, "Merlin and the Gleam" (1889; online reading -- PRINT OUT and bring to class!); 
  • Wildfrid Scawen Blunt, "To Nimue" (1914; online reading -- PRINT OUT and bring to class!); 
  • Thomas de Beverley, "The Story of Nimue" (1925; online reading -- PRINT OUT and bring to class!). 
Optional (also recommended; great fun if you have time!): PRESENTATIONS (up to two): 
  • Robin Dawley (on Merlin in assigned readings; may include relevant Pre-Raphaelite illustrations and/or images from Camelot Project "Merlin" links).
  • Alicia Hughes (Sr. Project) (on Nimue/Vivien in assigned readings; may include relevant Pre-Raphaelite illustrations and/or images from Camelot Project "Vivien/Nimue" links).
  • Morgan in assigned readings; may include relevant Pre-Raphaelite illustrations and/or images from Camelot Project "Morgan le Fay" links.
  • Possibly? Comparative analysis of Steinbeck's and Howard Pyle's retellings of Malory's Beguiling of Merlin (NOTE --this topic may not end up panning out; if you don't find that the comparison yields anything interesting, feel free to switch to one of the other suggested topics).
 Research Archive Assignment 5: Using NETLIBRARY (ebooks available from Kennedy Library Subscription Databases)

PRELIMINARIES: review information on electronic modes of access and read carefully through the profile of Netlibrary on Dr. Schwartz's Guide to Kennedy Library Research Tools.  Be clear about what it is, when and how to use it, its strengths and its limitations.  Know what to add to the bibliographic citation of an ebook accessed through a subscription database like NetLibrary. 

Then, click on the link to read through the detailed instructions for the next research assignment: Research Step 5: Searching the E-books in NetLibrary.  Ask Dr. Schwartz in class (or at an office hour) if you have questions about what you need to do..

RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT:   The detailed instructions in Research Step 5: Searching the E-books in NetLibrary will guide you as you learn to search directly in the e-books found in NetLibrary, another of Cal Poly's subscription databases. The directions will also help you prepare your next research report for the class research archive, "NetLibraryResults."

* * * * *
Continue work on RESEARCH PAPER PROSPECTUS, OUTLINE AND WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY, DUE IN IN CLASS ON W 2/20 (or with prior permission, NO LATER THAN 6 PM ON FRIDAY, 2/22 ).
Day 2 Victorian Poets catch-up day

NOTE: by our class meeting on Wednesday, 2/20, you must have watched the assigned film, which you can find on reserve for this class (in VHS) under the following call number: 

Group screenings in Library 202 can be arranged upon request. 

Week 7    (February 18-20)

RESEARCH PAPER PROSPECTUS, OUTLINE AND WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE  IN CLASS ON WEDNESDAY 2/20, or, by PRIOR ARRANGEMENT, to my mailbox in the English department no later than 6 PM on Friday, 2/22!

Also note:  Deadline to submit Research Progress Reports to class research archive is MIDNIGHT on SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24!!
 
Day 1  Visions of the Grail

Required Readings:

Optional (also recommended; great fun if you have time!): PRESENTATIONS (up to two): 
  • Lindsey Giordano (on Tennyson's Grail and/or Grail Hero[s]; may include relevant Pre-Raphaelite illustrations and/or images from the Camelot Project "Holy Grail," "Galahad" or "Perceval" links).
  • the Grail and/or Grail Hero(s) in one or more of the other assigned texts (may include reference to Pre-Raphaelite and other artwork , including images from the Camelot Project "Holy Grail," "Galahad" or "Perceval" links).
  • For the operatically inclined: the influence of and selections from Wagner's opera Parsifal.   NOTE: Any student selecting this topic should like (or at least be comfortable with) opera, and, ideally, should be familiar with THIS opera; s/he will be responsible for selecting some arias/scenes to screen and/or play for class, as well as some reading selections to be placed on e-reserve.
NOTE: by our next class meeting, you must have watched the assigned film, which you can find on reserve for this class (in VHS) under the following call number: Group screenings in Library 202 can be arranged upon request. 		 Don't forget that your PROSPECTUS, OUTLINE AND WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY are DUE  this Wednesday  (2/20 -- or with prior permission, NO LATER THAN 6 PM ON FRIDAY, 2/22 ). 

NOTE: I will accept your prospectus via email in an attached Word document.  If submitted as an attachment, please save your document as [yourlastname].doc.

IN CLASS: Sign up for conference for feedback on your research prospectus before the end of week 8.

Begin review for Midterm Exam.

NOTE:  THE DEADLINE FOR ALL REPORTS TO YOUR CLASS RESEARCH ARCHIVE IS THE END OF THIS WEEK (or by midnight on SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24 at the latest!!)  Take the time NOW to post any remaining research progress reports.  Remember, your reports are the "roadmap" of your research steps, intended primarily to HELP YOUR CLASSMATES who may wish to bring "your" text or film into their own research projects.  So please be as DETAILED AND SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE -- and especially, BE SURE TO POST A LIST OF THE ITEMS YOU HAVE CHECKED OUT OF KENNEDY LIBRARY OR ORDERED FROM ILL AND LINK+!!

Please do this NOW, while your reports can still be of use to your classmates in their research projects!! (Not to mention, of use to YOU as I calculate the "Participation" portion of your final course grade!)

 
Day 2 First hour: continued discussion of Grail texts assigned for previous class meeting. 

Second hour:  John Boorman's film Excalibur (141 min.), WHICH MUST BE SCREENED BY CLASS TIME!! 

Group screenings can be scheduled in room 202 of the library, or see on your own (at the library), or rent it and see it at home.  I encourage you to patronize Insomniac, SLO's fabulous independent video store (2161A Broad, between South and Branch; tel. 545-8866).

Reading: 

  • Norris J. Lacy, "Mythopoeia in Excalibur" (from Cinema Arthuriana, ed. Kevin J. Harty [New York: Garland, 1991], pp. 121-134); .PDF file, 8 pp., on e-reserve in the Library Resources section of Blackboard.  A slightly modified version of this essay (with different pagination) is found in the updated edition of this book on reserve in the Kennedy Library under the call number  PN1995.9.A75 C5 2002.
PRESENTATIONS (up to two): 
  • Jenn Wiens (on Boorman's Morgan).
  • Brady Sullivan (on Boorman's Grail Sequence).
  • another aspect of Boorman's Excalibur (topic to be decided in consultation with Dr. Schwartz).
PAPER PROSPECTUS AND WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE!! (see note at right)

NOTE:  it is strongly recommended that you begin reading Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon this week! 

NOTE:  Deadline to submit Research Progress Reports to class research archive is MIDNIGHT on SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24!!

Week 8    (February 25-27)
 
Day 1 MIDTERM EXAM Work on Research paper (due by FRIDAY 3/14). 
Day 2  Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Mists of Avalon

Readings: 

  • MOA ix-xi; 1-231 (Mistress of Magic). 
  • Marion Zimmer Bradley, "My Search for Morgaine le Fay" (on e-reserve in Blackboard; print out and bring with you to class!)  Original found in The Vitality of the Arthurian Legend: Proceedings of the Twelfth International Symposium Organized by the Centre for the Study of Vernacular Literature in the Middle Ages Held at Odense University on 16-17 November, 1987, ed.Mette Pors (Odense [Denmark]: Odense University Press, 1988), 105-109.
PRESENTATION (up to two; a second person may sign up ONLY if all 4 books have at least one presenter):
  •  Kirsten Vinther (Sr. Project) (on Morgan) 

Week 9    (March 3-5).
 
Day 1  MOA 235-447 (The High Queen). 

PRESENTATION (up to two; a second person may sign up ONLY if all 4 books have at least one presenter)

  • Marina Barakatt (on Guinevere and Christianization) 
 Continue review for Midterm Exam.

Work on Research paper (due by FRIDAY, 3/14). 
Day 2 MOA 453-651 (The King Stag). 

PRESENTATION (up to two; a second person may sign up ONLY if all 4 books have at least one presenter)

  • OPEN
NOTE: by our last class meeting (on W 3/12), you must have watched the assigned film, which you can find on reserve for this class (in VHS) under the following call number:  Group screenings in Library 202 can be arranged upon request. 

Week 10  (March 10-12)
 
Day 1 MOA 655-876 (The Prisoner in the Oak). 

PRESENTATION (up to two; a second person may sign up ONLY if all 4 books have at least one presenter):

     Jackie Gehrke-Jones (on topic TBA) 
NOTE: by our next (and last) class meeting (on W 3/12), you must have watched the assigned film, which you can find on reserve for this class (in VHS) under the following call number:  Group screenings in Library 202 can be arranged upon request. 		 Work on Research paper (due by FRIDAY, 3/14 -- OR IF AN EXTENSION HAS BEEN REQUESTED IN ADVANCE, NO LATER THAN 6 PM ON MONDAY 3/17!!). 
Day 2  Discussion of the film Monty Python's Holy Grail (1974, dir. Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones, approx. 90 mins.), WHICH MUST BE SCREENED BY CLASS TIME!!   It is available (in VHS) on reserve for ENGL 459 under the call number 398.2 AR77M (Vid.C.)

Group screenings can be scheduled in room 202 of the library, or see on your own (at the library), or rent it and see it at home.  I encourage you to patronize Insomniac, SLO's fabulous independent video store (2161A Broad, between South and Branch; tel. 545-8866).

Group screenings will take place at the following dates and times: TBA

Readings: 

  • Mark Burde, "Monty Python's Medieval Masterpiece" (from The Arthurian Yearbook 3 [1993]: 3-20); .PDF file, 10 pp., on e-reserve in the Library Resources section of Blackboard.  The Yearbook itself is on reserve for ENGL 459 in the Kennedy Library under the call number PN686.A7 A78.
  • David D. Day, "Monty Python and the Medieval Other" (from Cinema Arthuriana, ed. Kevin J. Harty [New York: Garland, 1991], pp. 83-92); .PDF file, 6 pp., on e-reserve in the Library Resources section of Blackboard.  A slightly modified version of this essay (with different pagination) is found in the updated edition of this book on reserve in the Kennedy Library under the call number  PN1995.9.A75 C5 2002.
Also recommended: 
  • peruse Steinbeck, AKA 127-203 ("Gawain, Ewain and Marhalt") for a taste of the type of interlaced chivalric adventures found in Malory and parodied by Monty Python.  (This recommended text is NOT on e-reserve in Blackboard, but a copy of the full text is available on reserve in the Kennedy Library under the call number 
  • review Tennyson, Idylls 206-230 ("The Holy Grail") and "Sir Galahad" (1834; online reading) for more of what the Python crew is parodying.
PRESENTATION (one only) on Monty Python's Holy Grail:
  • Allison Baker (Sr. Project) (on topic TBA)

In lieu of a traditional final exam, I hope that our final conversation of the quarter can take place in conjunction with a Class Dinner at my home, to be scheduled at a mutually convenient time on either the week-end before finals or no later than Wednesday of exam week.  Please note that while it will be graded Pass/Fail, this "final conversation" is a required component of the class.  If we are unable to schedule a class dinner, the final conversation will take place in 34-227 (our usual classroom) at the scheduled exam time: 10:10 AM - 1:00 PM on Monday, 3/17.  Please note that papers are due (along with your original, marked up prospectus) BEFORE the "final conversation" meeting, on Friday, 3/14 (or if an extension has been arranged in advance, no later than 6 PM on Monday, 3/17).