Seminar: Heroism, Gender, and Holiness in Old English Literature

  • Teaching

    Details

    Faculty Faculty of Humanities
    Domain English
    Code UE-L06.01655
    Languages English
    Type of lesson Seminar
    Level Master
    Semester SS-2026

    Schedules and rooms

    Summary schedule Wednesday 10:15 - 12:00, Hebdomadaire (Spring semester)

    Teaching

    Responsibles
    • Vuille Juliette
    Teachers
    • Vuille Juliette
    Description

    What did it mean, in the heroic Germanic imaginaire of Pre-Conquest England and Scandinavia, to be a hero, and to be a woman? Could one be such a thing? 

    This seminar has a two-fold aim: first, to attempt to establish a definition of what it means to be heroic in Old English literature, and how genre, gender, and Christianity impact (or not!) this representation. For this, we will review some of the most popular and often-cited heroic texts of the period.

    Second, we will focus on three main figures/texts, which we are going to study more closely: Cynewulf's Elene, the Old English poetic Judith, and Grendel's mother in Beowulf. 

    This class is intended to broaden students' horizons by introducing them to a number of little-known texts from the Old English corpus, while revisiting popular ones such as Beowulf and The Dream of the Rood. 

    We will be working with the Old English texts and their modern translations, but we will devote some 15 minutes in every class to look at and translate parts of our texts that is of particular interest to our study, so that prior experience with Old English is a prerequisite.
    Softskills No
    Available online No
    Off field No
    BeNeFri Yes
    Mobility No
    UniPop No

    Documents

    Bibliography

    A handout will be available from UNIPRINT.
  • Dates and rooms
    Date Hour Type of lesson Place
    18.02.2026 10:15 - 12:00 Cours MIS 02, Room 2118
    25.02.2026 10:15 - 12:00 Cours MIS 02, Room 2118
    04.03.2026 10:15 - 12:00 Cours MIS 02, Room 2118
    11.03.2026 10:15 - 12:00 Cours MIS 02, Room 2118
    18.03.2026 10:15 - 12:00 Cours MIS 02, Room 2118
    25.03.2026 10:15 - 12:00 Cours MIS 02, Room 2118
    01.04.2026 10:15 - 12:00 Cours MIS 02, Room 2118
    15.04.2026 10:15 - 12:00 Cours MIS 02, Room 2118
    22.04.2026 10:15 - 12:00 Cours MIS 02, Room 2118
    29.04.2026 10:15 - 12:00 Cours MIS 02, Room 2118
    06.05.2026 10:15 - 12:00 Cours MIS 02, Room 2118
    13.05.2026 10:15 - 12:00 Cours MIS 02, Room 2118
    20.05.2026 10:15 - 12:00 Cours MIS 02, Room 2118
    27.05.2026 10:15 - 12:00 Cours MIS 02, Room 2118
  • Assessments methods

    Seminar - SS-2026, Session d'été 2026

    Assessments methods By rating, By success/failure

    Seminar - SS-2026, Autumn Session 2026

    Assessments methods By rating, By success/failure

    Seminar - AS-2026, Session d'hiver 2027

    Assessments methods By rating, By success/failure

    Seminar - SS-2027, Session d'été 2027

    Assessments methods By rating, By success/failure
  • Assignment
    Valid for the following curricula:
    English Language and Literature 30 [MA]
    Version: SA15_MA_P2_ang_V01
    Module 2minor: English Philology
    English Language and Literature 90 [MA]
    Version: SA17_MA_PA_ang_V01
    Modules 5 branches > Module 2: English Philology
    Medieval Studies 30 [MA]
    Version: SA21_MA_P2_de_fr_V01
    Module VI : English Philology