What defined court culture during the Middle Ages, based on the way our course texts described courts and the literature courts enjoyed? Consider how courtly life differed in various parts of the world such as Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. How did the realities of medieval life shape the courtly texts?

Assignment Question

Write a 1200-1500 word paper that considers one of the following topics.

1. What defined court culture during the Middle Ages, based on the way our course texts described courts and the literature courts enjoyed? Consider how courtly life differed in various parts of the world such as Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. How did the realities of medieval life shape the courtly texts?

2. What ideas about sex, gender, and sexuality did authors of the court literature we read emphasize in their texts? Consider how these ideas differed in various parts of the world such as Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

How did the realities of medieval life shape these ideas? Use specific examples from the texts we have read for class, such as by Capellanus, Chaucer, Marie de France, Rumi, Chretien de Troyes, Christine de Pizan, and Arabian Nights, Gossamer Years, Silence, Roman de la Rose (use at least four works from the syllabus, and two must be Silence and Gossamer Years; you may use more than four texts); Use at least one short, direct quotation (no more than three lines of your paper long each) from each course text you use in the paper; AND at least one specific historical example per text to contextualize your discussion using historical information from class to give the texts context (you can use lecture videos and class notes). Discuss this historical background of the societies that shaped the texts in your own words. Focus on a clearly stated one-sentence argument that answers the prompt questions and appears in your introduction. Structure your essay comparatively, looking at topics that cut across societies. Do not organize the paper by society/text. All work must be your own, based on your analysis of the primary sources. This is not a research assignment, so do not use any other sources (such as from other books or the internet) Your essay must contain: a clearly stated argument in the first paragraph, evidence drawn only from the approved primary sources that supports your argument in the body of the paper, consideration of historical context with specific information from discussion and lecture. For example, “This author of the poem praised the warrior’s strength, which was an important value in Mesopotamia. Military strength and diplomacy were the two strategies Mesopotamian kings, such as Sargon, used to justify their power and authority (Edwards, Mesopotamia and Egypt lecture video). Strength especially served as a deterrent against neighbors rising up against Mesopotamian kings.”






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