ENG 330: Schedule of Readings, Meetings, Lectures, and Assignments

Yes, this is a very thorough schedule! All your time-sensitive responsibilities are laid out, in full detail, right here, week by week. Check back here after every class to make sure you know what you're responsible for doing next.

I assign medieval text readings by time spent, not by pages covered. If you reach the “no more than” time limit and aren’t done with the full text, stop anyway. If you reach the end of the full text before the “at least” time, go back and read more deeply. There’s no enforcement for these reading policies, but if you don’t follow them steadily, you’ll fall irretrievably behind and mess up some core learning objectives — trust me.

IMPORTANT: This schedule is subject to change, sometimes with small but significant adjustments being made only a week or two before a reading is due. Do not download or otherwise copy down this schedule—refer to this website directly, so you can be sure you're getting the most recent version. Do not start readings more than a week ahead of their due date.

IMPORTANT: For any assigned reading from TEAMS editions, I expect you to bring a copy of that reading to class on the day it is due, whether in hard copy or electronically on a tablet or laptop (no phones). Please also do your best to also bring readings from shorter electronic editions to class.

WEEK I

Before class on Wed 4 Sept,

  • Watch our introductory video — and follow its instructions on how best to familiarize yourself with our course website and syllabus.

During class on Wed 4 Sept, we’ll work from heavily glossed handouts/electronic copies of Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham. There’s nothing to bring or read ahead of this class meeting—I’ll provide the readings and we’ll do them together.



WEEK II

Before class on Mon 9 Sept,

Before class on Wed 11 Sept,

  • Read Lydgate’s Mumming at Eltham, Mumming at Windsor, Mumming for the Goldsmiths, and Mumming for the Mercers (in your Lydgate TEAMS edition). [NOTE: I usually save this reading assignment for later in term, but because university scheduling has caused our first class to land on a Wednesday, rather than the usual Monday, I’ve had to shuffle a bit.]

    [at least 45 mins engaged reading; no more than 1 hr]

WEEK III

Before class on Mon 16 Sept,

  • Read Lydgate’s Disguising at Hertford (TEAMS edition) and Appendix: Margaret of Anjou's Entry into London, 1445 (also in the Lydgate TEAMS edition).
    As you read, try consulting the searchable Middle English Dictionary for interesting or confusing words.

    [at least 2.5 hrs engaged reading, no more than 3 hrs]


Before class on Wed 18 Sept,



WEEK IV

During this week: Start working on your Translation/Edition Assignment.  

Before class on Mon 23 Sept,

  • Read Christina M. Fitzgerald’s edition of the York Joseph’s Troubles about Mary (in our course Google Drive file). Compare it to Davidson’s less mediated Middle English version (available by clicking here).

  • Watch Reading Early English Religious Texts (supplementary video lecture). If you’ve taken ENG 331 and so already watched this video, you can skip it.

  • Read the following short sections from The Catholic Bible, Douay-Rheims Version (in our course Google Drive file): from The Book of Genesis, Chapter 4 (only from verse 1 through verse 16), from The Gospel of St Matthew, Chapter 1 (only from verse 18 through verse 21), and from St Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 12 (only verses 12 through 31).

  • Read the Towneley Killing of Abel (available by clicking here). 

    [lots of short items, totalling at least 1.5 hrs engaged reading; no more than 2 hrs]

Be sure to bring your copy of Mankind (TEAMS edition) to class on Mon 23 Sept.

Before class on Wed 25 Sept,

  • Read Mankind (TEAMS edition), lines 45-330.
    [at least 45 mins engaged reading; no more than 1 hr]

 

WEEK V

During this week: Keep working on your Translation/Edition Assignment.

Before class on Mon 30 Sept,

  • Finish reading Mankind (TEAMS edition).
    [at least 1.5 hrs engaged reading; no more than 2 hrs]

Before class on Wed 2 Oct,

  • Read the York Crucifixio Christi (available by clicking here). 
    [at least 45 mins engaged reading; no more than 1 hr]


WEEK VI

During this week: Complete your Translation/Edition Assignment and the Middle English Comprehension Test.

Before class on Mon 7 Oct,

  • Read as far as you can in The Castle of Perseverance (TEAMS edition), starting at line 157, in the time allotted below — it’s good practice for the midterm test.
    [    at least 2 hrs engaged reading; no more than 2.5 hrs]

During class on Wed 9 Oct,

  • We will devote the entire class period to the Middle English Comprehension Test. There is no way to study for this test except by doing your assigned readings dutifully and working steadily on your translation assignment up to this point.

By 11:59pm on Wed 9 Oct, submit your Translation/Edition Assignment as an email attachment (not through a file sharing service!) to sergi.utoronto@gmail.com.


WEEK VII

There is no class on Mon Oct 14 (Thanksgiving).

Before class on Wed Oct 16,

  • Read Wisdom (TEAMS edition), lines 1-324+SD.
    [at least 1 hr engaged reading; no more than 1.5 hrs)]



WEEK VIII

Before class on Mon Oct 21,

  • Finish reading Wisdom (TEAMS edition); also, if you haven’t made it to line 1601 in Castle yet, now is the time to get there.
    [at least 2 hrs 15 mins engaged reading; no more than 3 hrs]

Before class on Wed Oct 23,

  • Read the Durham Prologue and Reynes Extract A (in our course Google Drive file, under “DAVIS_FRAGMENTS”).
    [    about 15 mins engaged reading]

  • Read The Castle of Perseverance (TEAMS edition) from where you left off through 2556+SD.
    We will not get the chance to discuss Castle much until after Reading Week, but it’s very long, so get these lines read now.
    [at least 2 hrs 30 mins engaged reading; no more than 3 hrs]

There is no class on Mon Oct 28 and Wed Oct 30 (Reading Week). Use this time to catch up on missed reading, making sure especially that you’re at line 3378 of Castle by next week.



WEEK IX

During this week: Start working on your Staging/Performance-Based Analysis Essay.

Before class on Mon Nov 4,

  • Read a series of short items in our course Google Drive file — all but the Shrewsbury Fragments are in present-day English translation (I encourage you to compare these translations to the original language, but you’re only required to read the present-day English versions), so they are relatively quick reads:

    1. Read the following short sections from The Catholic Bible, Douay-Rheims Version: from The Gospel According to St Mark (Chapter 14, verses 62 through 72; Chapter 15 in full; Chapter 16, verses 1 through 11) and The Gospel According to St John (Chapter 19 in full; Chapter 20, verses 1 through 18);

    2. read St. Æthelwold’s Quem Quaeritis Ceremony, from the Regularis Concordia, Fitzgerald-Sebastian version (under “FITZGERALD-SEBASTIAN_SELECTIONS”, just the first two pages);

    3. read St. Æthelwold’s Quem Quaeritis Ceremony, from the Regularis Concordia (Gibson-Records of Early English Drama version);

    4. read The Holy Resurrection / La Seinte Resurrection;

    5. read The Liturgical Dramas for Holy Week at Barking Abbey (in our course Google Drive file, preferably including the scholarly introduction);

    6. read Shrewsbury Fragment B (in our course Google Drive file, under “DAVIS_FRAGMENTS”).

    [that whole series should take about 1 hr 30 mins engaged reading]

  • Read the N-Town Announcement to the Marys; Peter and John at the Sepulcher and the N-Town Appearance to Mary Magdalene (available by clicking here and here). 
    [at least 45 mins engaged reading; no more than 1 hr]

Before class on Wed Nov 6,

  • Read Reynes Extract B and the Ashmole Fragment (in our course Google Drive file, under “DAVIS_FRAGMENTS”).
    [about 15 mins engaged reading]

  • Read The Castle of Perseverance (TEAMS edition), lines 2557-3378.
    [at least 1 hr 45 mins engaged reading; no more than 2.5 hrs]


WEEK X

During this week: Keep working on your Staging/Performance-Based Analysis Essay.

Before class on Mon Nov 11,

  • Read the Croxton Play of the Sacrament (TEAMS edition). Be aware ahead of time that this play depicts some pretty heinous anti-Semitism — and thus that our in-class lecture and discussion about it will also deal directly with anti-Semitism. Make your decision wisely about whether you wish to use one of your allotted absences for that discussion. Know that I will (of course) do all I can to facilitate a conversation that is at once challenging and welcoming, at once respectful and honest — and so, if you do have intense views or feelings here, our class conversation will be much richer if you share them, and poorer if you don’t.

  • If you haven’t already scheduled a One-on-One Essay Appointment (required), to occur during the times specified at the bottom of this page, then schedule it now.
    [at least 3.5 hrs engaged reading; if you can’t finish in 3.5 hrs, come see me in Office Hours to troubleshoot]

Before class on Wed Nov 13,

  • Special request: Please watch only a few minutes of the Introduction to ENG 330 video, but hosted this time by a different streaming site; please let me know in class whether you were able to watch it ad-free and at full quality, or whether there were any issues that arose (if it works, I’ll move all class videos here to make sure they’re ad-free!).

  • Another series of short, quick reads:

    1. Art. 21, Alle herkneth to me nou / The Harley Harrowing of Hell — feel free to read the present-day English translation only, ignoring the Middle English (available by clicking here);

    2. The Cambridge Prologue and the Rickinghall (Bury St Edmunds) Fragment — feel free to read the Middle English translation only, ignoring the Old French (in our course Google Drive file, under “DAVIS_FRAGMENTS”);

    3. The Play of Adam and Babio — feel free to read the present-day English translation only, ignoring the Old French (in our course Google Drive file, under “FITZGERALD-SEBASTIAN_SELECTIONS”);

    4. Deor and Wulf and Eadwacer — feel free to read the present-day English translation only, ignoring the Old English (in our course Google Drive file, under “TREHEARNE_SELECTIONS”).

    [that whole series should take about 1 hr 30 mins engaged reading]


WEEK X

During this week: Keep working on your Staging/Performance-Based Analysis Essay.

From here on out, most of your readings will be unglossed and untranslated.  You now should have the skills to make pretty quick work of them!  Complete this list of small and medium-sized readings in full, however long it takes.

Before class on Mon Nov 18,

  • Read the following short section from The Catholic Bible, Douay-Rheims Version (in our course Google Drive file): from The Book of Genesis, Chapter 22 (only from verse 1 through verse 19);

  • Read The Northampton Abraham and Isaac (in our course Google Drive file);

  • Read the Jenkins Selections (in our course Google Drive file);

  • Watch the Video Interview with Jacqueline Jenkins (in our course Google Drive file);

  • Finish reading The Castle of Perseverance (TEAMS edition), lines 1-156 and 3378-3649.

  • Optional: only just after you have finished the full Castle of Perseverance, watch this short fan video, because why not?

During class on Mon Nov 18, we will host (on Zoom, for our second half of class) a distinguished guest: Dr. Jacqueline Jenkins of U Calgary. Based on the video and readings above (except for Castle), please come prepared with at least one good question for Prof. Jenkins. (please impress her, okay?)

Before class on Wed Nov 20,

  • Read the Chester Antichrist (in our course Google Drive file).

    As you read, you must identify ALL of the implicit extra-verbal cues in this play. I’ll be asking you to identify certain extra-verbal cues in our CQs at the end of class. (Remember: you should identify implicit extra-verbal cues not by what the text broadly makes possible, but by what the basic sense of the lines makes arguably necessary.) The Chester plays should be a bit easier to read than our usual Middle English, because the extant copies are very late, but the editions I’ve shared with you have no editorial glosses to help you figure them out.  What you’ll see on the Chester pages are variant readings—that is, the different versions of words or lines that appear across different extant manuscript copies.  Where the other manuscripts (each assigned a letter) vary from the main manuscript you’re reading, the variation is usually noted (marked by the letter of the manuscript) at the bottom of the page.

    [at least 45 mins engaged reading; no more than 1 hr]

WEEK XI

During this week: Keep working on your Staging/Performance-Based Analysis Essay.

Before class on Mon Nov 25,

  • Read Lydgate’s Disguising at London (TEAMS edition);

  • Read the Chester Trial (excerpt) and the Chester Passion (in our course Google Drive file);

  • NEW ADDITION! Read the Middle English texts at the end of the quite new Bland-Biggar and Orme, “Fifteenth-Century Dramatic Texts from the Bristol Area,” and see if you can make any sense out of them.

    Read all these texts in full, however long it takes. As you read, you must identify at least three implicit extra-verbal cues in each play you read (except for the Bristol texts — try to find at least one per text in those).  Emphasize the tough to see ones!  I’ll ask you in class to share at least one of what you found, along with the line number (students who have special arrangements with me for participation should use those alternative avenues to share their cues with me).  I expect everyone to be able to share one cue that no one else has yet mentioned, so come prepared with backups!  (Remember: you should identify implicit extra-verbal cues not by what the text broadly makes possible, but by what the basic sense of the lines makes necessary).

Before class on Wed Nov 29,

There are no readings due. Prof. Sergi will present a wrap-up lecture, and then, if time allows, we’ll try to put parts of Occupation and Idleness (from selected student translations!) up on their/our feet.


WEEK XII

During this week: Finish your Staging/Performance-Based Analysis Essay, which is due (by automatic extension granted to all) the week after our final class, at a one-on-one meeting.

In class on Mon Dec 2,

  • Remember, as part of the assignment we have been discussing for weeks, that during this class session each of you must present your ideas on The Castle of Perseverance (and so for your essay in progress) within two minutes.  We will start our class session on time (on the hour) just this once, rather than waiting the usual ten minutes; you can still get here ten minutes after if need be, but we’ll start getting some presentations underway early, so try to arrive early if you can.  No tech allowed: just you and your words (students who have arranged alternate avenues for participation can have me read a script for them).  Practice your presentation ahead of time to make sure it lasts only two minutes (or less)!  And please be ready to go as soon as I call your name—we’ll need to make quick transitions so everyone will get a chance to speak; I’ll say a very few words after each presentation, so use that time (while I’m talking) to move from your seat to the front of the room. 

  • Instead of our usual CQs, you are responsible during class for generating two substantial and helpful questions or comments about two of your fellow students’ presentations.  You have to submit those questions to me by email within three hours of when our class ends, with the first name of the student in the title of your email (so you have to make sure you know at least two classmates’ first names!).  I’ll forward each student-generated comment or question to the student you name in your email title (and just so you know, I won’t be reading the comments and questions closely myself—this is between the two of you!); I’ll mark your CQs as fully answered once you’ve sent two, but you can send more if you wish.

  • Other than all that, there are no readings due.


FINAL ESSAY MEETINGS

The Staging/Performance-Based Analysis Essay is due by in-person delivery at a One-on-One Essay Meeting with Prof. Sergi. Meetings will be available between 10:30am and 5:30pm on Monday 9 December, Wednesday 11 December, and Thursday 12 December. Appointments will be made available by Week 9 (if they aren’t, please contact me). Reserve an appointment according to the instructions under “One-on-One Student Presentation” at the Resources page. Be sure you have read the assignment instructions carefully.

You’ll need to bring two hard copies of your essay to your appointment (unless you are meeting me remotely, in which case see the instructions here — remote meetings are not as effective for this assignment, but still will get the job done if need be). At the meeting, either you or I (your choice) will read the essay aloud, from beginning to end; from there, we’ll discuss.