Think about this question:
Your reading assignment for the week of January 14 is the first part of Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces, in which he outlines the stages through which the hero passes in the process of becoming a hero. Your task is to summarize what he says. As there are three chapters, your assignment should be three paragraphs long: one paragraph per chapter. Each paragraph should contain the following:
Your paragraphs do not need to be woven together into an essay, that is, you don't need to worry about things like transitions between paragraphs or an introductory paragraph. You may even turn your assignment in on three separate pieces of paper, if you wish. However, your paragraphs should be internally coherent.
This exercise will be graded on the basis of 0-3 (please see the syllabus or the web site for further discussion of this method).
Your assignment should be typewritten and double-spaced, with type no smaller than 12-point or 10 cpi. Your margins should be at least one inch (1") on all sides. The pages should be attached to one another in some way (staple or paperclip). We will not accept assignments that are submitted as email attachments.
Think about this question:
Your reading assignment for the week of January 28 is our first actual reading about a medieval hero, in this case, William of Orange as he appears in the earliest epic of the cycle that bears his name, The Coronation of Louis. We've been reading a lot of theory, both the ideas of Joseph Campbell and the ideas of Thomas Carlyle. Choose one of these figures and discuss how his ideas fit the hero in question, William of Orange.
Your assignment should contain:
Once again, this assignment is not an essay, so you don't need to worry about things like introductions and conclusions. By its nature, however, this assignment calls for a coherent discussion of the question. So you would want to think about things like transitions between paragraphs.
This exercise will be graded on the basis of 0-3 (please see the syllabus or the web site for further discussion of this method).
Your assignment should be 1-2 pages long, typewritten and double-spaced, with type no smaller than 12-point or 10 cpi. Your margins should be at least one inch (1") on all sides. The pages should be attached to one another in some way (staple or paperclip). We will not accept assignments that are submitted as email attachments.
Think about this question:
Bring in a list of five characteristics of western European society of the 10th-12th centuries.
Your reading assignment for the week of February 4 is our second reading about William of Orange: we've already seen the hero in his early career in The Coronation of Louis; now we turn to The Conquest of Orange. This second work gives us a somewhat different view of the hero. Your aim is to compare the hero as he appears in both works and to discuss one way in which the two portraits are the same and one way in which they are different. Your assignment should contain:
A clear statement of one similarity and one difference you see in the way William's character is drawn in each work. (This is a kind of summarizing, but you shouldn't be summarizing the plot.)
One example from each text to support your discussion of the similarity between the texts (2 examples) and one example from each text (2 examples, for a total of four) to support your discussion of the difference between the two works. As you also did for last time, make sure that:
Each of these examples should be specifically documented (that is, you need to give the line numbers of the example).
Examples should be recounted in sufficient detail that a reader who has not read the epic will be able to follow your ideas. This does not mean that you need to give every detail, but you can't just say something like, "Orable is like Gualfier's daughter," and leave it at that. You will have to show how your example applies to what you are saying.
Finally, the examples should be chosen from throughout the text. All your examples should not come from the beginning or the end.
A hypothesis about why the two texts are different. (You do not need to account for the similarity between the texts.)
Once again, this assignment is not an essay, so you don't need to worry about things like introductions and conclusions. By its nature, however, this assignment calls for a coherent discussion of the question. So you would want to think about things like transitions between paragraphs.
This exercise will be graded on the basis of 0-3 (please see the syllabus or the web site for further discussion of this method).
Your assignment should be 1-2 pages long, typewritten and double-spaced, with type no smaller than 12-point or 10 cpi. Your margins should be at least one inch (1") on all sides. The pages should be attached to one another in some way (staple or paperclip). We will not accept assignments that are submitted as email attachments.
Think of two ways in which the Celtic world from which the Mabinogion arises is different from the continental world we've been describing in class and reading about in the Nelson essays.
Using the heroic narratives that we have read through week five of the semester (The Coronation of Louis, The Conquest of Orange, and The Four Branches of the Mabinogion), write an essay in answer to the question.
This assignment is a true essay, that is, it requires an introduction, which must include a thesis which answers the question set to you in a very specific way, a body, which must include evidence to support your contentions, and a conclusion. You need to think about things like transitions between paragraphs, for instance, that you haven't been asked to worry about in many of the previous assignments. Your thesis needs to be supported by evidence (we've worked on that a bit in the exercises), which must be with page citations. For this essay, you are limited to no more than five lines (total) of quotation.
This essay will be graded on the basis of A-F (please see the syllabus or the web site for further discussion of this method).
Your assignment should be 4-5 pages long, typewritten and double-spaced, with type no smaller than 12-point or 10 cpi. Your margins should be at least one inch (1") on all sides. The pages should be attached to one another in some way (staple or paperclip). We will not accept assignments that are submitted as email attachments.
Below, I have put a copy of the evaluation form we're going to use for the essay. You can use this to check your essay before you hand it in.
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This essay was written by a member of the class in response to the first essay assignment. That assignment asked you to identify the qualities of the medieval hero (what are the qualities of a medieval hero?), and to root them in the social systems of the time (and why?). The essay received an "A," and provides a very good example of what we were looking for. It uses all the required sources, provides a great deal of specific evidence, and carefully situates the hero's qualities in the social context.
The essay is unedited, and while there are things we might want to correct here, that does not detract from the strength of the student's performance overall.
The hero of the medieval narrative tradition varies from place to place across Europe, but certain qualities are constant, those of strength in arms, dedication, and love. Strength of arms is arguably the most important quality for a medieval hero, for the medieval times were ones of war and turmoil. Dedication and persistence in following one's cause, be it theologically or socially associated, is critical to the feudal society based on fealty. The last, but not by any means, least of the paramount qualities of the medieval hero is love. The hero must be a lover as well as a fighter, and cultivate his inner qualities by honing his skills at love.
The most prevalent of the qualities of the medieval hero, skill at war, is indicative of the nature of medieval society. In a time when rights to power were based first and foremost on the maxim 'might makes right', a strong sword arm is necessary for any hero fitting the mold in the medieval times. Nobles were given titles and rights as gifts from their liege lords with the expectation that their vassals would provide military assistance to them. Even the heroes who did not fit as neatly into the feudal European model, such as Pwyll Prince of Dyfed, were skilled in the ways of war, for when he stood in King Arawn's place facing Arawn's rival Hafgan, Pwyll is able to kill his opponent with one blow, which pierces shield, armor, and flesh. (Mabinogion p.6) St. George faces and slays a dragon with naught more than his lance and his faith. ("St. George", p.1) One of William of Orange's most respected qualities is his potency in combat, hence the knick-name "Fierebrace", meaning 'iron-arm'. (Coronation l.335) When William pledges to win the lady Orable, it is his willingness to take arms that he foregoes, over anything else, to prove his dedication to the task. "But by Him who has all mankind to save, / I will not carry lance or shield again / if I don't win the lady and the city." (Conquest ll. 263-5)
Dedication and loyalty of a hero's heart and soul to his duty were also held up as a paramount virtue. Whether the hero was following his duty to his lord, the path he has set for himself, or his duty to God, he pursues it with every fiber of his being when he is set to the task. When St. George is taken by the prefect Dacian and tortured, his limbs ripped off by the rack, still George holds firm to his devotion to God, and through George's perseverance, the magician that was brought to poison George converts to Christianity. ("St. George" p.2) When Pywell was in Arbeth, he puts his mind to finding the mysterious lady that rides by, sending his men after her and then following himself to track her down. (Mabinogion pp. 8-9) When Manawydan, son of Llyr, was with Cifga, Rhiannon, and Pryderi in hiding, he did not waver in his resolve not to kill those who oppressed them, not the first time for the saddles they made, nor the second when they were run out for their shields, nor the third time for their shoes. (Mabinogion p.37-38) When William is set to face Corsolt, the Turk, he does not waver the least bit, despite the terrible tales he hears of Corsolt's prowess and cruelty. (Coronation ll.562-573) After Corsolt is bested and William is ready to marry Galafre's daughter, he hears of King Charles' death and the threat of Richard of Rouen to Louis' sovereignty, William willingly throws away all of the riches and happiness that is promised him by Galafre and returns to Louis' side. (Coronation ll.1352-1450) Later, though, William makes little mention of King Louis, his lord, for he is primarily concerned with acquiring wealth for himself and the hand of the lady Orable at that time.
The pursuit and veneration of love is the strangest, and perhaps, most interesting high quality which must be possessed by a medieval hero. When nobles were at court, they were not allowed to fight with blades, so they found other ways to compete. This led to the idea of courtly love, pioneered by William IX, called the first Troubadour. Men would battle with their wits and words to out-do one another to win a maid's favor. Thus, heroes of the men of that time must too be great lovers. This love was not excluded to courtly love, for these heroes too were human, and vulnerable to the temptations of the flesh. The human hero showed the audience of the stories that though a hero could be great, he was still imperfect, a product of the religious overtones of the time and the concept of original sin. William has moments of doubt when he is faced with the choice between staying in Rome with a beautiful woman who would be his wife and returning to France to save his king, he defers to the pope for guidance to set him on his path. (Coronation, s. xxxiii) At Arbeth, Pwyll chases after Rhiannon when she rides by to catch his eye, catches and then woos her, plots to marry her, and makes an enemy out of Gwawl, tricking and his competition to win Rhiannon, and takes great joy in his accomplishment. (Mabinogion pp.8-13) When William hears of Orange's riches and the lady Orable's beauty, he does not care that the task he sets before himself is ridiculous, (Conquest ll.350-258) for he says, "The love of her torments and governs me -/a man in love is reckless and a fool" (Conquest ll.358-359) William infiltrates an entire city of Muslims, who would, if they knew his identity, have little more to do with him than throw him into a dungeon to watch him rot away, or kill him. He takes with him only Gilbert and Guielin, and their only defense a disguise of ink ground up to serve as paint to give them the look of Turks. (Conquest ll. 375-395) When William is victorious, having conquered Orange and converted and married the lady Orable, he is called "most noble and worthy," (Conquest l. 1861) for he has pursued his love and not lost his way in God, succeeding to win his lady's heart and the city which houses her. (Conquest s. lxi) Note that a man in medieval Europe was not considered a full adult until he was married, so finding love and marriage was of social importance, as well as being a pre-requisite for propagation of his family line to ensure his comfort in old age.
The qualities most important to a medieval hero are those that put them above and beyond the level of their peers, showing the level to which mankind can excel. The importance of strength of arms is obvious, for medieval Europe was decentralized in its organization of power to better deal with military threats from Anglo-Saxon raiders. A noble in those times' main obligation to his lord was his support in military endeavors, and to support his lord in matters that were out of his hands. Dedication and perseverance through adversity showed the devotion of the hero to his duties, a very important idea to the medieval society, where social classes were firmly entrenched. Heroes would follow their duties and their words, even when doing so is not in their best interest in terms of status. Powerful lords would often be more powerful than their own lieges, yet, like William of Orange, they remained loyal and were content to serve in their place, even when other things, such as love, tempted the heroes (Coronation, in general). Courtly love, the invention of medieval Europe as a result of nobles being forced to compete in non-military ways at court, is of utmost importance, a display of the culture of the hero. Heroes were also driven to find love outside of their marriages, for often in those times marriages were arranged, entirely political in origin, serving mostly to cement alliances and advance the man's social status, bringing him into the 'adult' world.
Your reading assignment for the week of February 18 are the first five lais of Marie de France. A lai is a short poem that tells a story; the tradition of these lais comes from Brittany, which was closely linked culturally with Wales, so the tradition is similar to that which produced the stories of the Mabinogion in some ways (politically, the two areas developed very differently). However, Marie wrote in French and is thoroughly within the French tradition, so as you work with the lais, you are back within the cultural sphere that produced the William of Orange cycle. Your assignment is to choose one of these lais and to show how the contents related to the society that produced them.
Your assignment should contain:
A brief summary (yeah, we can't get away from summarizing) of the plot of the lai you choose. You should not use quotation here.
Three points of the text where social relationships, the political structure of the society, the roles expected of men or women, the economy, or any other feature of medieval twelfth-century society you find in the text.
Identify each place in the text where you see a feature of twelfth-century society in operation (you will need a specific citation).
Briefly summarize (yup!) the feature of society operating in the text at that point.
Show how the text embodies these features of society.
The examples should be chosen from throughout the text. All your examples should not come from the beginning or the end.
A summary statement of what one might conclude about the relationship of the text to the society that produced it.
Once again, this assignment is not an essay, so you don't need to worry about things like introductions and conclusions (apart from your summary statement at the end, which is a conclusion of a kind). By its nature, however, this assignment calls for a coherent discussion of the question.
This exercise will be graded on the basis of 0-3 (please see the syllabus or the web site for further discussion of this method).
Your assignment should be 1-2 pages long, typewritten and double-spaced, with type no smaller than 12-point or 10 cpi. Your margins should be at least one inch (1") on all sides. The pages should be attached to one another in some way (staple or paperclip). We will not accept assignments that are submitted as email attachments.
In our class discussions about the Mabinogion on Feb. 18, we found some places where the text seems to contradict itself and norms seem to be in conflict. In one case, Efnisien mutilates his brother-in-law's horses and yet is not punished by anyone, although his actions bring about a tragedy. In another case, Gilfaethwy and Gwydion commit a rape, and they are thoroughly and completely punished by their kinsman, King Math. We concluded that underlying the seeming contradiction were conflicting norms--that brothers have a right to consent to their sisters' marriages, that kin should look after each other, and that crime should not go unpunished. Many of these kinds of conflicts exist in Marie de France's lais. For instance, in "Guigemar" there is a conflict between the obligation of a wife to be faithful and the obligation of a husband to treat his young wife with respect and consideration, in other words, like a wife. Your mission for next week is to find one conflicting norm in the remaining seven lais of Marie de France (from "Les Deus Amanz" (The Two Lovers) to the end).
A brief description of what the norms are and what the conflict is.
A brief discussion of what the social rationale for each of the norms is. Be sure to situate that social rationale in the society of 12th-century Europe.
A brief discussion of how Marie resolves the norms.
What does her solution mean for the society?
Once again, this assignment is not an essay, so you don't need to worry about things like introductions and conclusions (apart from your summary statement at the end, which is a conclusion of a kind). By its nature, however, this assignment calls for a coherent discussion of the question.
This exercise will be graded on the basis of 0-3 (please see the syllabus or the web site for further discussion of this method).
Your assignment should be 1-2 pages long, typewritten and double-spaced, with type no smaller than 12-point or 10 cpi, typed on one side of the page only. Your margins should be at least one inch (1") on all sides. The pages should be attached to one another in some way (staple or paperclip). We will not accept assignments that are submitted as email attachments.
Up until now we've been dealing with legendary heroes. With this week's readings, however, we make the jump to real people (well, St. Alexis is legendary, but Christina of Saint-Trond was a real person). However, the treatment of historical heroes has its own conventions that may or may not line up with our notions of biography. It is important that we understand how the author and audiences understood a text before we can talk about it. Thomas Head's two articles provide exactly that sort of background. Your mission, then, is to explore the biography of Christina of Saint-Trond (Christina the Astonishing), using Head as your guide. We want you to discuss one general feature of hagiography that Christina's life embodies (using "Hagiography") and one feature specific to female hagiography that Christina's life embodies (using "Women and Hagiography").
Your assignment should contain for each of the two examples:
A synopsis of Head's ideas on the feature of hagiography you've chosen, with citation (because internet sources are not paginated, properly speaking, but are continuous scrolls, give a paragraph number--get the number by counting the paragraphs).
A brief description of a passage of Christina's biography you find illustrative of Head's points (with citation). Please do not use the same passage to illustrate two sets of Head's ideas. Choose two different passages of Christina's biography to discuss in this assignment. These passages should come from different parts of Christina's biography.
A conclusion about what this tells us about Christina's biography and its place in hagiographic culture.
Once again, this assignment is not an essay, so you don't need to worry about things like introductions and conclusions (apart from your summary comment after each example).
This exercise will be graded on the basis of 0-3 (please see the syllabus or the web site for further discussion of this method).
Your assignment should be 1-2 pages long, typewritten and double-spaced, with type no smaller than 12-point or 10 cpi, typed on one side of the page only. Your margins should be at least one inch (1") on all sides. The pages should be attached to one another in some way (staple or paperclip). We will not accept assignments that are submitted as email attachments.
How is a high medieval (11th-13th centuries) holy hero different from a high medieval secular hero? How is a medieval holy hero similar to a medieval secular hero? What does this tell us about high medieval society? (Your essay should make reference to at least two secular texts and at least two hagiographic texts in answering this question.) |
This assignment is a true essay, that is, it requires an introduction, which must include a thesis which answers the question set to you in a very specific way, a body, which must include evidence to support your contentions, and a conclusion. You need to think about things like transitions between paragraphs, for instance, that you haven't been asked to worry about in many of the previous assignments. Your thesis needs to be supported by evidence (we've worked on that a bit in the exercises), which must be with page citations. For this essay, you are limited to no more than five lines (total) of quotation.
This essay will be graded on the basis of A-F (please see the syllabus or the web site for further discussion of this method).
Your assignment should be 4-5 pages long, typewritten and double-spaced, with type no smaller than 12-point or 10 cpi. You should print only on one side of the page. Your margins should be at least one inch (1") on all sides. The pages should be attached to one another in some way (staple or paperclip). We will not accept assignments that are submitted as email attachments.
Below I've put a checklist of things to ask yourself, to make sure that your essay is appropriately focused and supported. We will use the grading sheet we used last time, which is available on-line and which you can also print out and use to check your own work. Warning: This checklist is not comprehensive; you will probably need to do more than satisfy its minimal requirements. You can also look at an excellent student response to the last essay question.
Do I have a sufficiently specific thesis? (Although the question is in three parts, similarities, differences, and conclusions, your thesis will need to address your conclusions. It will need to refer quite explicitly to the culture and/or society of the high Middle Ages). (List the thesis here).
Do I have a point of view I am trying to argue? (Write the argument here. Remember that in writing an argument is not a fight you are having, but a methodical laying out of your point of view and the reasons and evidence you have for holding a particular point of view. No points of view without evidentiary support!)
Do I discuss the society of the high Middle Ages explicitly, drawing on secondary readings and materials covered in class lectures? (List three specific historical statements you make about medieval society, along with the source. You do not need to cite the lectures in your essay, but it is good to make sure you know where you are getting your information from anyway. You need to cite secondary readings when you use them.)
Do I provide enough specific evidence? (List two specific pieces of evidence you use from each of your four texts. This evidence should be so specific that it requires a page/line/chapter citation.)
In my conclusion, do I show how my evidence supports my line of argument?
This essay was written by a member of the class in response to the second essay assignment. That assignment asked you to compare holy heroes (saints) with secular ones and then explain what the similarities and differences meant or told you about medieval society. The essay received an "A," and provides a very good example of what we were looking for. There are many good things about this essay, but to name only one, note the careful way the author uses the texts, and draws from them not only obvious indications of social thinking, but also underlying ones. All the material is situated in the context of medieval society as well, which is the focus of the course.
The essay is unedited, and while there are things we might want to correct here or points we might want to argue with, that does not detract from the strength of the student's performance overall.
Heroes of the medieval society, whether they are considered holy or secular, are all noted for their ability to stand up for what they believe in. Although the motivation for their actions might be different, the struggle and overcoming of great odds and persecution is the same. While the motivation behind a holy hero's life is to become closer to God and the goal of heaven, the motivation behind a secular hero of this time is much more worldly. It may be that of ties between lord and faithful man, worldly goods, or bonds of love. These all show different aspects of what was considered important and even vital in medieval society. The influence of the Church, bonds of loyalty, and great courage were all necessary components of society at this time.
For the hero who is considered a saint, the goal of heaven and salvation is most important to them. Whether it be their own salvation and increased closeness to God that they are worried about, or the salvation and conversion of others, worldliness does not enter into their lives. As seen with St. Alexis, even the bonds of family are not strong enough to keep him from his search for God and increased holiness. Although familial ties were one of the strongest bonds of his society, to him they played a secondary role. St. Alexis even goes so far as to leave his new bride on their wedding day, before bedding her, and traveling far away to resist temptation. (Alexis, st. 12) He desires only to remain pure in his service to God. He then gives away all his possessions and trusts completely in God to care for him. (Alexis, st.19-29) Alexis is totally unconcerned with earthly things. When his social role comes into conflict with his religious role, he readily gives up all claims to wealth, status, and comfort. Even after being gone from his home for many years, Alexis fears returning to his homeland. He does not want to be burdened "with the honor of this world" (Alexis, st. 40) His social and familial ties and responsibilities are seen by him as mere detriments in his search for holiness. Alexis doesn't even seem to care about his family's intense mourning over him. Although witness to their grief and sorrow years after he had disappeared, Alexis makes no attempt to tell his family whom he is until after he has died. (Alexis, st. 49) God mattered much more to him than any family bonds ever could. However, one might view his return home as an attempt to be reconciled with his family. After returning to his homeland, Alexis lives under the stair of his own house for seventeen years. (Alexis, st. 55) Perhaps this was because of a desire to be near his family, even though he didn't tell them who he was. And when he knows that he is dying, Alexis writes out his story for his family to find, so they will know who he was and what happened to him. These actions seem to contradict his earlier disregard for family ties. This suggests that those ties were still very much present, only overshadowed by his fierce love of God and desire to be closer to him.
The Life of Christina the Astonishing also illustrates the differences in motivation between holy and secular heroes of medieval society. After the first time that Christina dies, the Lord gives her the choice to stay in Paradise with him forever, or to return to her body and suffer for all the souls in purgatory, and help lead people to salvation. Without hesitation Christina decides to return, in order to help those who were condemned and in pain. (Christina, p 19) She gives up Paradise to suffer for others. This is quite the extreme opposite from worldliness. Almost everything that Christina did was far from worldly. She ran from earthly praise because it didn't matter to her. Rather, her only concern was for people's souls, and it tormented her to know when someone was damned. (Christina, pp 30-31)
A quite different example of the holy hero's motivation is found in the person of St. William. After the death of his wife, William follows God's will and travels to Genevois to become a monk. He leaves his lands and all his possessions in the care of his godson, gives up his shield, and enters a monastery. (William in the Monastery, ll 59-124) But although William seems sincere in his desire to follow God, and attends all the services in the monastery and does what is asked of him, he doesn't really give up many of his worldly desires. He demands plenty of good food and wine, and beats up the other monks when he doesn't get his way. (William in the Monastery, ll 184-223)
Before becoming a monk and giving up his shield, William makes stipulations. He states that he is giving up his shield and will never pick it up again--unless Louis has need of him, or his godson. (William in the Monastery, ll 77-90) Even after all this time, William remains loyal to Louis and the promises that he made long ago. Unlike Alexis and Christina, William feels that those worldly bonds still take precedence over his newer devotion to God and holiness. This is a perfect illustration of how much importance medieval society placed on the ties of loyalty between lord and faithful man, and ties between family. They were what held the society and its people together and weren't put off lightly, even for the great influence of the Church.
For the secular hero, motivation becomes much more worldly. In The Coronation of Louis William's motivation is purely loyalty to his lord, Louis. William promises to defend Louis and swears to give him anything he needs. In return, Louis entrusts William with his lands and his safety. (Coronation, ll 204-227) There is never a question of the loyalty between them, and William is always there in time to come to Louis' aid.
In The Conquest of Orange, William's goals become more self-motivated. He goes to Orange in the first place because he hears of its great riches and of the renowned beauty of Lady Orable. (Conquest, ll 238-297) There is no higher motivation here; William's struggles are for worldly possessions. However, in medieval society, these acquisitions were extremely important. Although titled, William had no land of his own. And without land, he couldn't hope to marry. In this society, that meant that he could never truly be considered a man, despite all of his military might and conquests. A title didn't necessarily mean much without any land or wealth backing it. In order to become a full-fledged adult member of society, he needed a wife, and that meant having land enough to support her. In Orange, William found his answer to all of that.
In the story of Guigemar, motivation comes in the form of love. When Guigemar first falls in love with his lady, he is in anguish over whether or not she loves him in return. He spends a sleepless night tormenting himself over it before he finds out that she does indeed love him. (Guigemar, ll 379-410) After this realization, he gladly stays with her for a year and a half under the threat of discovery and possible death at the jealous husband's hands. (Guigemar, ll 535-542) Although they both know the danger they are in, they gladly live with it because of love. They want only to enjoy each other and be together while they can, no matter the cost. This shows the importance that love had in this medieval society. Even though marriage was usually for reasons other than love, romantic love still had a big place. Perhaps because of the arrangement and business-like approach to marriage, love was highly valued, and not given up lightly. Although marriage was an important bond, the abuse of that bond as seen in Guigemar, made it even more susceptible to the truer bonds of love that were found between Guigemar and his lady.
Despite the fact that motivational differences seem to abound, both secular and holy heroes of the medieval society share a vital quality that must be found in any hero. This quality is that of perseverance against great odds. In all of these stories, this same trait appears over and over again. No matter their end goal, both secular and holy heroes must overcome many trials and hardships to get there.
For the saints, these hardships were sometimes self-inflicted. But that did not make them any less severe, in fact, often it made them more so. Of St. Alexis it is said that "he tortured his body in the service of God" (Alexis, st. 33) It was only after thirty-four years of torment that God finally called him to Heaven. (Alexis, st. 56) In addition to self-inflicted abuse, Alexis also endured intense poverty and the mockery of people who thought he was mad. His only response to this was to pray to God for forgiveness for those who had hurt him. (Alexis, st. 53-54)
Christina's hardships were also often self-inflicted or taken on herself willingly. She would torment herself in freezing water for six or more days, or stretch her arms and legs on the rack, or even hang herself from the gallows for a day or two. (Christina, p 22) All of these things were done in order to make herself more holy and to become closer to God. But much of her torment was taken on for the sake of other people. In just one example, Christina took on half of a man's sufferings in purgatory to spare him, after he came to her for help when he had died. (Christina, pp 40-41)
In the case of St. William, he must face treachery from his own abbot and the other monks who he lives with. It is from the very men of God who should be supporting one another that comes a plot to kill William and rid their abbey of him. (William in the Monastery, ll 254-273) Although he prevails against this plot, it is only after he has been set upon by robbers and is forced to fight for his life. (William in the Monastery, ll 588-644) This situation shows that even the church was fallible to worldly concerns and possessions. There seems to be some jealously over William, who eats and drinks as much as he wants and is so much bigger than all of them.
For the secular hero, hardships and trials are just as common. In The Coronation of Louis William endures many battles and much violence. In one instance, he even gets part of his nose cut off in battle with Corsolt, the Saracen champion. (Coronation, ll 1090-1104) And then even after all that William did for Louis, rescuing him and his kingdom time and time again, Louis forgets about William and tosses him aside. (Coronation, ll 2649-2695) However this never stops William from always honoring those ties of loyalty, which shows their great importance to his life and to the whole society.
In The Conquest of Orange William is thrown into the dungeon for a second time, along with his nephew Guielin and Lady Orable, who had rescued them the first time. Then more than forty pagans attack them. (Conquest, ll 1542-1608) There seems to be no hope for them, but William doesn't give up. He continues to fight against seemingly impossible odds. (Conquest, ll 1609-1638)
The story of Guigemar also shows great perseverance. It takes more than two years of being separated and grieving for each other before Guigemar and his lady are finally reunited. And after all of that, Guigemar must then defy another knight and lay siege on his castle in order to win back his love. (Guigemar, ll 837-884) But he never hesitates in his love for her, even though it means breaking a bond of loyalty towards another knight. To him, it is well worth that lesser sacrifice over what it would cost him to give up his love. Although motivated by love, this struggle could also be seen as another competition for male dominance. In many cases, love became an excuse to show prowess. Even though not in a typical court setting, this challenge couldn't be set aside without losing face in the eyes of society, regardless of the ties of love that were the main motivation for Guigemar.
In medieval society heroes were valued because of their exceptional qualities and actions. These qualities might show themselves in devotion to God and salvation, or devotion to the more worldly bonds of loyalty and love. Whatever the case, it took great courage and standing up for what they believed in for these heroes to accomplish what they did. In this society, the fact that they stood up for ideals that others could believe in too, made them heroic. For a holy hero, one only gained sainthood through being "accepted by a community of believers and blessed by an ecclesiastical authority." (Hagiography, par. 3) This meant that even though it might not have concerned them overly much, saints held great respect from the people. Secular heroes as well were only considered heroes if the ideals they upheld and sought after were thought well of and valued by the other people of their society. So although the qualities of a hero must come from within, it is only from their society that they can achieve the respect and acclaim that labels them a hero, whether secular or holy.
In the essays you wrote last week (which you will get back in your discussion sections this week), you wrote about holy heroes (the saints) and secular heroes. You're going to continue working with those ideas in this assignment, but you are going to apply those ideas to a new figure, Joan of Arc. Using the materials about her, discuss why her French allies might have had difficulties seeing her as a holy hero (saint) and why they might have had difficulties seeing her as a secular hero. As your materials you should use the trial and rehabilitation records, Christine de Pisan's poem on Joan, and Enguerrand de Monstrelet's narrative history.
Your assignment should contain the following:
A clear statement of each of your two reasons (there are many possible reasons, but you need find only two). For each reason, you should discuss one of Joan's characteristics.
Two pieces of evidence supporting your assertion that Joan has the characteristic you see as problematic.
One piece of evidence and an argument demonstrating that French people actually did find her a problem. (I specify an argument here, because you may well have to argue from the evidence you have.)
Once again, this assignment is not an essay, so you don't need to worry about things like introductions and conclusions (apart from your summary statement at the end, which is a conclusion of a kind).
This exercise will be graded on the basis of 0-3 (please see the syllabus or the web site for further discussion of this method).
Your assignment should be 1-2 pages long, typewritten and double-spaced, with type no smaller than 12-point or 10 cpi, typed on one side of the page only. Your margins should be at least one inch (1") on all sides. The pages should be attached to one another in some way (staple or paperclip). We will not accept assignments that are submitted as email attachments.
This week, we begin reading about a new kind of hero, the outlaw. In fact, you may not think of outlaws as being heroes at all, which raises an interesting question and the one you need to consider for your exercise, what outlaws share as heroes either with holy heroes or with secular heroes and what they provide as heroes that these other types of heroes do not share and what this can tell us about how medieval society looked at its heroes.
Your exercise should contain (This list was generated in class--next week you will have to generate your own):
Once again, this assignment is not an essay, so you don't need to worry about things like introductions and conclusions (apart from your summary statement at the end, which is a conclusion of a kind).
This exercise will be graded on the basis of 0-3 (please see the syllabus or the web site for further discussion of this method).
Your assignment should be 1-2 pages long, typewritten and double-spaced, with type no smaller than 12-point or 10 cpi, typed on one side of the page only. Your margins should be at least one inch (1") on all sides. The pages should be attached to one another in some way (staple or paperclip). We will not accept assignments that are submitted as email attachments.
| Using the romances of Eustace the Monk (romance in this sense means a text written in the vernacular, not something about love!) and Fulk Fitzwarine, explain how historical conditions (other than political events) might give rise to the outlaw hero's story. |
You generate your own list of what the assignment should contain to be complete. Please remember that the assignment should be 1-2 pages long; your list of what you would need to include should take the length of the assignment into account. Provide your list on a separate sheet of paper and turn it in with your assignment.
This exercise will be graded on the basis of 0-3 (please see the syllabus or the web site for further discussion of this method).
Your assignment should be 1-2 pages long, typewritten and double-spaced, with type no smaller than 12-point or 10 cpi, typed on one side of the page only. Your margins should be at least one inch (1") on all sides. The pages should be attached to one another in some way (staple or paperclip). We will not accept assignments that are submitted as email attachments.
|
How did changes in medieval society (economic, political, social, religious) between 1000 and 1500 affect the medieval story of the hero? |
You may bring with you into the exam a 3" X 5" index card (Nota bene: this table is NOT 3" X 5") upon which you may write anything you choose to help you write an essay on this topic. Please also bring pens--we would prefer that you not write in pencil. Discuss anything you wish with anyone in the class, BUT plan your essay (including but not limited to writing your outline and choosing your examples) ALONE. Your essay will be written in a blue book. It is to be a true essay, that is, it requires an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Because you are writing in class, you will not be expected to give page citations, but you will be expected to provide specific evidence in support of your statements. Naturally, we will be more lenient in matters of grammar and spelling than we would be in grading a take-home essay, but you need to write clearly enough that we can understand your ideas. This essay will be graded on the basis of A-F. |
Please do not make the mistake of thinking that because you know the question ahead of time you do not need to study or prepare for this exam. For instance, you might want to use the worksheet below to help you organize and prepare your ideas.
| Date | Heroes, Heroic Tales & Stories | Specific Historical Events | Long-term Historical Trends |
|
1000
* |
* | * | * |
1050
* |
* | * | * |
1100
* |
* | * | * |
1150
* |
* | * | * |
1200
* |
* | * | * |
1250
* |
* | * | * |
1300
* |
* | * | * |
1350
* |
* | * | * |
1400
* |
* | * | * |
1450
* |
* | * | * |
1500
* |
* | * | * |