Honors Colloquium Fall 2024
HNRS 195J–001, Special Topics in Humanities:The Story of Everlasting Love. Gottfried of Strassburg’s Tristan and Isolde
All UA policies pertaining to classes in one location. For my own specifics, see below.
- Declare a major/minor in [YOUR MAJOR/MINOR HERE] using this ONLINE MAJOR/MINOR DECLARTION FORM (NETID login required).
TOPIC: Tristan and Isolde, ca. 1210
INSTRUCTOR: Prof. Albrecht Classen, Dept. of German Studies, LSB 318, tel.: 621-1395; email: aclassen@email.arizona.edu; sites.arizona.edu/aclassen
Office: 318 Learning Service Building
1512 E 1st St., between Vine and Cherry
CLASSROOM: Mod. Lang. 212
CLASS MEETING TIME: Fri 9:00-9:50 a.m.
OFFICE HOURS: Mo and We 12:15 – 1:15 p.m., and most other times during the week; just come by, or give me a call to make an appointment.
CONTENT
Literature carries particular value for our lives because here we encounter a narrative platform for fundamental discussions concerning our ethics, morals, ideals, and values. There are simply non-material situations or conditions in life that demand our full attention, and no science can help us then, such as in the case of love, death, a spiritual experience, or ethical conflicts. This colloquium will serve the purpose of examining this phenomenon in a relaxed but critical academic environment. I want to expose you to a most powerful and deeply influential poet, the Middle High German Gottfried of Strassburg. His Tristan and Isolde (1210) is the most definitive literary treatment of the joys and pains of love, outside of the bonds of marriage, within the courtly context. Issues of loyalty, love, compassion, courtly education, ideals, principles, love potion, the ordeal, love as a utopia, desperation, and longing dominate this romance, which is certainly the most famous romance from the entire Middle Ages
READING MATERIAL: Gottfried von Strassburg, Tristan and Isolde, ed. and trans. by William T. Whobrey. 2020. There are also free older translations available online, but they are all incomplete, awkward to read, and do not do justice to this glorious text.
GOAL
Studying Gottfried’s Tristan and Isolde allows us to dive deeply into the most important literary work dealing with love, eternal love, and joys and pains of such an experience.
Student Learning OUTCOME:
1. Solid understanding of the medieval discourse on love, life, God, and values, 2. the ability to discuss central theses critically in class, and 3. a high level of academic writing about these narratives. 4. The final outcome will be a deep concept of profound issues in human life, here seen through a literary-historical lens.
ATTENDANCE:
Although it is assumed that you will attend all class meetings, you are informed hereby that excessive absences will have consequences for your grade.
- Absences for any sincerely held religious belief, observance, or practice will be accommodated where reasonable. Refer to the Religious Accommodation Policy.
- Absences pre-approved by the University Dean of Students (or dean’s designee) will be honored.
HOMEWORK: Always come to class having read the assigned texts/chapters.
DISCUSSIONS, ACADEMIC BEHAVIOR, EXPECTATIONS:
Please treat each other with respect and tolerance. People have different views and opinions, and all these can only contribute to the rich learning experience I hope you all will have in this class. You are strongly encouraged to participate in class as much as possible through oral comments and through writing. The one meeting per week will only be of profit for you if you respond to my questions and those of your classmates, come forward with your own questions, opinions, etc.
NONDISCRIMINATION AND ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY
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For definitions of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, please see the University’s Nondiscrimination and Anti-harassment Policy here or visit the Office of Institutional Equity website.
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WARNING:
If you use secondary material for your journal, make sure that you indicate clearly where you took it from. Plagiarism and cheating violate the Code of Academic Integrity. For further information, see:
http://www.library.arizona.edu/help/tutorials/plagiarism/index.html
Do not ever copy from the work produced by your classmates or by other students who might have taken this course in previous semesters. If you receive help in writing your papers, make sure that the final outcome still represents your own work. You can discuss your papers with your fellow students, but in the end, they need to consist of your own ideas and words! Be advised that the Web is a great search tool, but never, never copy from there without identifying very clearly what you used. At this point, the scholarly value of web-based material still is not totally reliable, and the chances that you might stumble upon a most dubious webpage with untrustworthy information are very high. When you quote from a secondary source, clearly identify the quote and tell the reader in a footnote where you quoted from. Every year more than 1000 students at the UA are caught having committed the crime of plagiarism, resulting in penalties that could be as severe as expulsion from the University! You are smart enough not to copy from other people.
If there is any doubt in your mind whether you might commit plagiarism, see:
http://www.turnitin.com/research_site/e_faqs.html
The use of AI in writing your journals is strictly forbidden. If you have any question what that entails in specific cases, please simply consult with me. We will work with new words, terms, expressions throughout the semester; try to incorporate those into your journal entries. Submit those journals each time as a separate and new file.
If you commit plagiarism, you could either receive a 0 on your specific assignment, or an F for the entire course. Depending on the gravity of the case, you might even be expelled from the University. Every plagiarism case must be reported to the Head of my department, to the head of your dept., and to the Dean of Students.
Help with writing: The Writing Skills Improvement Program offers a number of valuable workshops at 1201 E. Helen Street. Please consult with them if you have a need to improve your writing skills (no walk-ins). For perhaps more immediate help, see the Writing Center (walk-ins allowed). Tel.: 621-5849
Writing Center: The Writing Center is a free resource for UA undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty and staff. At the Writing Center, a trained peer consultant will work individually with you on anything you’re writing (in or out of class), at any point in the writing process from brainstorming to editing. Appointments are recommended, but not required. For more information or to make an appointment, visit their website at http://thinktank.arizona.edu/programs/thinktank/services/writing, stop by at Nugent Building, main level, or call (520) 626-0530.
How to declare German Studies as your major or minor: https://german.arizona.edu/declare
Requirements for the major or minor
GRADING:
3 journals: 30% each. With journal, I mean critical responses to our discussion and your reading. You should address major issues, examine the text’s unique aspects and strategies, and engage deeply with the class material. You should raise questions and try to respond to them yourself.
Attendance and participation: 10%
I’ll collect your journals 3 times per semester. Your attendance in the colloquia is assumed; if you have to miss a meeting, please let me know in writing. Excessive, unexcused absences will result in a drop in your overall grade. More than 2 of such absences will lead to an automatic F in this course.
In specifics, keep a journal (critical writing) and write ca. 200 words or more per week, dealing each time with the respective chapter/story that we are discussing every Friday.
A: good journal, full critical discussion, plus questions and creative responses to the text
B: not always a full amount of words, few questions, little critical thinking
C: mostly paraphrasing, too short entries, no comments of your own
D: spotty entries, misunderstandings, faulty grammar, spelling
F: few entries, short texts, no personal responses, or worse, no understanding of the text or the task
SYLLABUS: Please read each story as part of your homework before class. All of the readings are fairly short, and they are always entertaining, although sometimes the content might be a little surprising, if not shocking.
Aug. 30: Introduction, the Middle Ages and Renaissance
https://sites.arizona.edu/aclassen/sites/sites.arizona.edu/aclassen/files/amt.classen2016_2.pdf (a text I have borrowed in part from Emily Amt and which I have expanded considerably.
Let’s take a quick look at the text and work on these questions:
1. What major forces (political, religious, military) determined the early Middle Ages?
2. What role did the Christian Church play during the medieval period?
3. What was feudalism? (p. 5)
4. What role did cities play since the later Middle Ages?
5. Jews, crusades, cathedrals, monasticism, mysticism
6. The Paradigm Shifts in the late Middle Ages: a, b, c, d. e, f.
The history of love and sexuality through the lens of literature
Sept. 6: We complete our historical overview, and we begin with Tristan and Isolde Prologue and Ch. 1
Sept. 13: Tristan and Isolde Prologue, Ch. 1-3. Questions to be discussed: a. Who is the targeted audience? b. what is literature good for (love)? c. how does G. explain his search for the true text? d. love and life, virtues; e. joy and pain; f. the metaphor of manna (bread). Then, I: a. Rivalin as a young lord; b; the role of Morgan; c. development of the war; d. truce/peace for a year – what does Rivalin do? e. court of King Mark of Cornwall; f. his sister Blancheflor; g. love between R and B; h. Rivalin’s deadly injury in war; i. love as healer, Blancheflor as a physician; j. new war with Morgan; k. Blancheflor’s arguments; l. R. death and B.’ mourning; m. Tristan’s birth. Ch. 3: a. Tristan is hidden from Morgan; b. T’s education (books and instruments, chivalry)
Sept. 20: Tristan and Isolde Ch. 4-7: a. abduction, how is that possible? the role of chess. b. the tempest, and Tristan as the new messiah? c. climb up the mountain, orientation, pilgrims; French conversation, education, manners; d. the hunters, and Tristan as the master hunter/artist; old and new form of butchering the prey, transformation of material objects into art; his explanation of his origin and his interest in foreign countries (p. 45), noble culture e. precession to the court, another artistic performance; f. is T. a merchant or not? T’s cunning. g. why does T. refuse to become the master huntsman? h. excoriation and fourchie; I. the Welsh musician, and Tristan’s mastery in music; j. the music instruments, and what can T. play best; he is a prodigal child; k. the king’s personal liking: homosocial or homosexual? l. Rual’s search for Tristan; m. Rual as Tristan’s father; and his noble character irrespective of his poor outer appearance; n. Rual tells the true story of Tristan’s life; loss of a father, and Mark as the new father; o. Rual’s nobility, loyalty, honesty; p. Mark makes Tristan to his heir.q. the literary review; r. what are the three central virtues (p. 70)?
Sept. 27: Tristan and Isolde Ch. 8-9: 1. Tristan is seeking revenge against Morgan; 2. What does Mark promise to Tristan? 3. Gathering of all nobles and public recognition of Tristan. 4. Meeting with Morgan, the accusation of him being a bastard. 5. What does Morgan charge him with reg. his social status? 6. What does Tristan then do with Morgan? 7. Fightig breaks out – was T really smart in his plans? Did he not deliberate assassination? 8. Near catastrophe for Tristan; rescue through Rual. 9. Departure from Parmenie and return to Cornwall – what had Mark promised? 10. People’s grieving.
Ch. 9: 1. The Irish King Gurmun, origin! 2. Morold and his sister, Isolde. 3. Tribute to Ireland. 4. Submission under Roman law, abandonment of the first-borns. 5. Why does no one dare to fight Morold? 6. How does T decide to do it; and what are his two supporters? 7. Mark’s stance in this matter? 8. Why does T not break the law of fealty to Ireland? 9. Morold is unprepared, shocked. 10. What is the alternative for both? 11. Tristan’s bold pronouncement and challenge.
Oct. 04: Tristan and Isolde Ch. 10-12; 1st journal (upload to D2l, please)
- Chapter 10: Let’s discuss the ‘ordeal,’ or the solution to a court case at an impasse. 2. Why the island? 3. What does Tristan’s action with the boat symbolize? 4. Why does Morold try to bribe Tristan? 5. How many people on Morold’s side, how many on Tristan’s side? 6. Morold’s poison – how to evaluate it? 7. The fragment. 8. Tristan’s mockery. 9. Why does he hide his wound?
- Chapter 11: 1. Tristan’s festering wound; 2. Ireland instead of Salerno; 3. Tristan’s deception, as a musician. 4. how does he explain his ‘situation’ (minstrel)? 5. 40 days and 40 nights; 6. Tristan as Isolde’s tutor; 7. his music charms everyone; 8. healing, the power of Queen Isolde; 9. he teaches her what? Esp. moralite, p. 103; 10. Isolde’s attractiveness and skills; 11. how does he explain his desire to return home?
- Chapter 12: 1. Tristan’s praise of Isolde the princess; 2. the courtiers’ jealousy; Mark is to marry Isolde; 3. Mark’s comment about the advisors p. 108; 4. problem between Cornwall and Ireland; 5. Mark’s oath!; 6. older versions and their lies about Isolde’s hair p. 110; 7. Tristan as merchant, arrival in Ireland, the court steward
Oct. 11: Tristan and Isolde Ch. 13-14. I’ll be out of town today. Please write up a brief summary of these two chapters and send your answers to me via email.
Oct. 18: Tristan and Isolde Ch. 15-16: Review: ch. 13: the dragon. Who helps Tristan to survive? The role of the 3 ladies. Tristan’s renewed fabrication about himself. The dragon’s tongue – why is it symbolic? The seneschal. ch. 14: the splinter, Isolde’s intellectual ability to read signs; her rashness in trying to kill him; the wise mother. Two types of sorrows (death of Morold and fear for her daughter). The political reflections. The trial, the role of the tongue (word). Ch. 16: the love potion. Why does the mother brew it? Why do the two drink it by accident? How does Isolde feel, how does she express it? The experience of love, p. 146.
Oct. 25: Tristan and Isolde Ch. 17-18: 1. Isolde’s confession and Tristan’s confusion. 2. What do the two lovers realize, p. 150? 3. Brangaene’s advice: absolute secrecy. 4. meaning of love, bitterness and pain (p. 153). 5. Why is love for sale? (p. 154). 6. What are the problems with love? (153-54). 7. Isolde’s new power as Mark’s wife, and Tristan’s privilege. 8. What is Brangaene’s sacrifice, and what does the narrator say about Mark’s approach or inability? 9. What is Isolde afraid of? See, e.g, Kaufringer’s “Innocent Murderess.” 10. Isolde’s assassination attempt. 11. Brangaene’s rhetorical strategy. 12. Isolde’s dishonesty and lies.
Nov. 1: Tristan and Isolde Ch. 19-20
Nov. 8: Tristan and Isolde Ch. 21-22L 1. Who is Marjodo? 2. M’s dream of the boar; 3. the steps in the snow; 4. the chess board as a weak barrier; 5. M. loves Isolde as well; 6. conversations between Isolde and Mark; her own linguistic strategies; 7. Mark’s innocence and naivete; 8. why does he like to believe her? 9. how does Isolde undermine her own arguments again? 10. the dwarf Melot ad his acuity; 11. the orchard – perhaps a biblical allusion; 12, the shadow; 13. Tristan’s observations and sharp responses; 14. his communication with Isolde and secret language; 15.what play does Isolde perform? 16. how does Mark respond? 17. What does Isolde demonstrate about herself in this scene? 18. the power of language and the power of love. 2nd journal
Nov. 15: Tristan and Isolde Ch. 23-24: Tristan’s acquisition of the magical dog Petitcreiu. Isolde’s reaction. Expulsion of the two lovers. The love cave. The notion of utopia, in a medieval romance!. The allegorical elements. Please have ready, or let’s work on a list of particular features of this cave.
Nov. 22: Tristan and Isolde Ch. 25-26. Today, we will meet in a zoom room because I have to give a presentation in Phoenix: https://arizona.zoom.us/j/85652325989
Nov. 29: Thanksgiving
Dec. 6: Tristan and Isolde Ch. 27. Summary discussion. Please be prepared to reflect on the entire colloquium, the relevance of this medieval romance, and the topic of love. Last day of class; submit your 3rd Journal, 8 p.m. I would like to hear from you what you thought about our colloquium. Thank you.
Student Learning Outcomes; By the end of the semester, students will be able to engage critically with this literary master poet, Kaufringer, and to write about the central points in a critical fashion.
Trigger Warning: Our text is a literary narrative, and it could contain at times troublesome issues pertaining to violence, sexuality, and crimes. If you have any problems, please let me know so that I can help you.
Possible changes: The information contained in this course syllabus, other than the grade and absence policies, may be subject to change with reasonable advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.