English 65B/165B: Arthurian Literature

Week 2, Class 3

Geoffrey of Monmouth, History of the Kings of Britain (Historia regum Britanniae) II.

Prelims:

Introduce TA’s

Section List

Announce Medieval Club, Thursday (?) films

Geofffrey — II

Sex and violence. Lurid scenes of carnage, dismemberment of dead corpses; suicide rape of an old woman, egotism and bravado — all for a racy tale

Initernational Latin lifted from Celtic lode an oral tale. It will spawn first generation French (Wace), English (Layamon).

Proceed from Wilhelm p. 66