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I would suggest reading the Elder (Poetic) Edda excerpts after the Prose Edda excerpt. Included in the Elder Edda PDF are:

1. Andy Orchard’s introduction to the volume (helpful and interesting)
2. Völuspá: The prophecy of the seeress (a well-known poem describing the movement of time from creation through apocalypse)
3. Gudrúnarkvida in forna: The ancient song of Gudrún (one of the laments of the heroine Gudrun, the dragon-slayer Sigurd’s widow; she recalls sitting over the body of her husband, Sigurd, murdered at the instigation of her brother Gunnar and his wife, the valkyrie Brynhild, who is Sigurd’s former lover)
4. a page from Hamðismál: Hamdir’s lay: just read verse 17, in which Gudrún’s sons, riding at Gudrún’s instruction to avenge their sister Svanhild’s death, find the body of Svanhild’s murdered stepson
5. Notes (helpful and interesting)

When you read these, you need not note every detail or assiduously follow the plot. Instead, follow the beasts! Look at how wolves, ravens, serpents, and other non-human animals carry meaning in these poems. You might think about our discussion of metaphor and metonymy on Thursday.

Have a lovely weekend.

Q: How many points did I receive for my reading response?

A: You received 25 points for an A, 20 for a B, or 15 for a C. Course assignments and requirements are worth a total of 100 points.

One of the readings for tomorrow is the fire episode from Njáls saga. It can be difficult to jump into this long saga in the middle, so please consult Robert Cook’s introduction and timeline (which I have also scanned for you). The action properly starts on p. 213, although you can begin a few pages earlier if you know the most important names: Flosi is revenging a killing by some of Njal and Bergthora‘s sons (the Njalssons), whose names are Skarphedin, Grim, and Helgi; they were helped by their brother-in-law Kari.

Enjoy–this is a really good saga and I wish we had time to read the whole thing.

Check out the Staffordshire Hoard here (more images here) and some great images from Sutton Hoo here.

Because we had no class on Thursday, we’ll be discussing the medieval North (readings from Ibn-Fadlan and the Land of Darkness) on Tuesday 2/7. Our Seas unit will begin Thursday 2/9 with a discussion of the relevant Beowulf passages and The Seafarer. All other lectures will proceed as per the syllabus, barring unforeseen circumstances.

Stay warm!

For those of you reading the Alaimo, here are some of Claire Nouvian’s photos of deep sea life. Look at the gallery; it’s nuts.

For this coming Tuesday (1/24), read the Beowulf, Blickling, and Alaimo. (The Alaimo is highly recommended, but not required.)

For next Tuesday (1/31), read the Ibn-Fadlan material (not actually by Ibn-Fadlan but by several other medieval geographers who have been anthologized with him) and the articles on the Canadian Arctic, and watch the Watt-Cloutier talk.

Have a great weekend.

I am reading and enjoying your first reading responses. I enjoy marking them less. A number of reputable studies have shown that extrinsic motivators like grades do not promote learning terribly well. Because grades are not optional at UBC or most other universities, I align them as closely as possible with development of the intrinsic motivators, or habits, that determine how much you really learn: curiosity, rigour, persistence, intellectual courage, the desire to improve, and willingness to change your paradigms.

Reading responses that do a good job–that engage pretty thoughtfully with the material–get B marks. B stands in here for “good.”

Reading responses that do an excellent job–that are rigorous, detailed, extremely thoughtful and curious, and that engage at a level that may threaten your previous paradigms and values–get A marks. A stands in here for “excellent.”

If  you are doing a good job, could you be doing an excellent job? Probably. That’s something to strive for in your next response. But a B is a good mark in this course and at UBC. If you have a lot of bad feelings about getting anything other than an A, then read this.

Here’s the final schedule. You will find the final updated syllabus, and all other documents labeled “web,” on Connect. I link directly here to readings available on the Internet.

COURSE SCHEDULE

Week 1 (1/3, 1/5):      Ecocriticism

Required Reading:
Robert Dale Parker, “Ecocriticism” (web)
Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, “Land as Pedagogy: Nishnaabeg Intelligence and Rebellious Transformation” (web)
Suggested Reading:
Beowulf lines 1-1382

Week 2 (1/10, 1/12): Beowulf and the Hierarchy of Creation

Required Reading:
Beowulf lines 1-1441, focus on 1-193
Genesis 1-3 (web)
Riddle 26 (web)

Week 3 (1/17, 1/19): Wilderness and Monsters

Required Reading:
Beowulf lines 99-169, 1251-1441
Bruce Braun, The Intemperate Rainforest, ch 1 (web)
Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, “Monster Culture: Seven Theses” (web)
                                   
Weeks 4 and 5 (1/24, 1/26, 1/31, 2/2): Ice, Darkness, Depth

Required Reading:
Beowulf 803-851, 1251-1676
from Blickling Homily 17 (web)
from Ibn-Fadlan and the Land of Darkness (web)
Canadian Arctic cluster: cluster: Saki Knafo, “Cruising the Northwest Passage” (Travel + Leisure); Will Oremus, “The Upside of Global Warming: Luxury “Northwest Passage” Cruises for the Filthy Rich” (Slate); Sheila Watt-Cloutier Walrus talk (all on web)

Suggested Reading:
Stacy Alaimo, “Violet-Black” (from PE)

Weeks 6 and 7 (2/7, 2/9, 2/14, 2/16): The Seas

Required Reading:
Beowulf 1-1924, focus on 193-331, 499-581, 1888-1924
Meyer’s Beowulf pp. 1-82 (including Daniel C. Remein’s Introduction)
The Seafarer, trans. Roy Liuzza (web)
From Anissa Janine Wardi, Water and African American Memory (web)
Browse Melody Jue, Philosophy of Water blog (web)

MIDTERM EXAM 2/16

Week 8 (2/28, 3/2): Blood

Required Reading:
Beowulf 1-2176, focus on 480-498, 710-851, 1070-1158, 1408-1631, 1870-1881, 2021-2100
Meyer’s Beowulf pp. 83-154
Tobias Menely and Margaret Ronda, “Red” (from PE)

Suggested Reading:
Astrida Neimanis, “Hydrofeminism” (web)

Note: There is no class on 2/21 and 2/23 due to midwinter break. I have assigned a significant amount of reading for 2/28, so do it over break.

Week 9 (3/7, 3/9): Gold and the Harder Metals

Required Reading:
Beowulf to the end, focus on 529-687, 1191-1250, 1422-1784, 1920-2069, 2144-2311, 2490-2883, 3007-end
Graham Harman, “Gold” (from PE)

Weeks 10 and 11 (3/14, 3/21, 3/23): Fire

Required Reading:
Meyer’s Beowulf pp. 155-258
From Njal’s Saga (web)
Daniel Heath Justice, “’Go away, water!’: Kinship Criticism and the Decolonization Imperative” (web)
Anne Harris, “Pyromena” (web)

Note: Class is cancelled on 3/16, as I will be away at a conference.

Weeks 12 and 13 (3/28, 3/30, 4/4, 4/6): Beasts, Birds, and Time

Required Reading:
Beowulf: find the beasts!
Meyer’s Beowulf p. 185
From The Elder Edda (web)
From Snorri Sturluson, The Prose Edda (web)
Pat O’Riley and Peter Cole, “Coyote and Raven Talk About Environmental Justice” (web)

As the most devious minds amongst you have no doubt worked out, there is nothing to stop you from submitting BOTH reading responses before the midterm. If you are light on work and keen to get on top of things before the tidal wave hits, you should feel free to do this.