Chaucer: ENGL 321 A
This was a class that I had to take to fulfill my pre-1900's requirement for the English diploma, but one that I was genuinely interested in. I'd never read The Canterbury Tales before or any of Chaucer's works, a man who is regarded as the father of English Literature. Reading the tales in Middle English was definitely a challenge, but it was fun. It was also interesting how there were certain thematic parallels between this class and the Honors seminar. Many people question the relevancy of literature from the Middle Ages, but the fact that our discussions of social issues bore some resemblance even though they were so displaced in time periods and genres must indicate the importance of these classes and discussions.
While the class itself was nothing special (we never had any rousing class-led discussions, our discourse concerning the texts were pretty superficial, and while Professor Remley could be engaging with his immense knowledge of Chaucerian history, there was a rather rote and limp quality to the class atmosphere...probably because Professor Remley recognized that everyone was in there to get that pre-1900's credit. In fact, he expressed several times how surprised he was to find that the class was actually engaged and interested in learning.) I think that it was still worth my time. It was good to have some exposure to the Middle English and getting to read some poetry. But I do feel like the experience was cursory, and not all that it could have been. I think this is reflected in my final paper for the class as well. It's pretty run of the mill, by the books, nothing truly inspired.
While the class itself was nothing special (we never had any rousing class-led discussions, our discourse concerning the texts were pretty superficial, and while Professor Remley could be engaging with his immense knowledge of Chaucerian history, there was a rather rote and limp quality to the class atmosphere...probably because Professor Remley recognized that everyone was in there to get that pre-1900's credit. In fact, he expressed several times how surprised he was to find that the class was actually engaged and interested in learning.) I think that it was still worth my time. It was good to have some exposure to the Middle English and getting to read some poetry. But I do feel like the experience was cursory, and not all that it could have been. I think this is reflected in my final paper for the class as well. It's pretty run of the mill, by the books, nothing truly inspired.