ENGL 30022. SPECTRAL MEDIEVALISM There is a spectre haunting modernity-the spectre of the medieval. Used to abject cultures that are coded as "backward," to recall a nostalgic neverwhere time of chivalry and romance, and, more darkly, to legitimate white supremacist beliefs, the medieval is seemingly everywhere. From House of the Dragon to The Rings of Power to Lena Dunhams "medieval" film, Catherine Called Birdy, we cant seem to quit it. Why? What is it about the Middle Ages that appeals to late modern sensibilities? What purpose does medievalism serve? In attempting to answer these questions, we will screen films such as A Knights Tale, The Green Knight and Kingdom of Heaven. We will consider why so many college campuses were (are) constructed in an architectural style that is known as Collegiate Gothic (Wooster, Yale, University of Chicago). And we will also, of course, read some medievalistic works such as Kazuo Ishiguros The Buried Giant. [AH]
- Giáo viên: Thomas Prendergast