Geoffrey Chaucer is the most important literary figure of medieval England. More than any of his contemporaries, he is responsible for shaping an English tradition with a distinct identity and lineage. All the same, his achievement cannot be understood without taking into account his intense engagement with a wide range of sources, from the Bible through the authors of classical antiquity and down to medieval poets, historians, and storytellers from England and the Continent. Not only does he radically revise every text with which he comes into contact; he also makes acts of reading and interpretation pivotal events in his works.

The first part of this seminar will explore the intertextual quality of Chaucer's writings by examining a few of them alongside the sources they appropriate. Class discussion will focus on the ethical, political, gendered, religious, and metaliterary dimensions of these encounters. As the academic year rolls on, we shall also look into how Chaucer was read and refashioned by the fifteenth and sixteenth-century followers who canonized him. A selection of theoretical and critical material will supplement our close reading.

No prior knowledge of Chaucer's language is required. However, all Middle English texts will be read in the original. By the end of the fall semester, you are expected to become proficient in the grammar, core vocabulary, and pronunciation of the London dialect, the basis of Early Modern English.