ID:
139046
Dettaglio:
SSD: FILOLOGIA GERMANICA
Durata: 54
CFU: 9
Sede:
BERGAMO
Url:
LINGUE E LETTERATURE STRANIERE MODERNE - 13-270/LINGUISTICO-LETTERARIO Anno: 3
Anno:
2026
Dati Generali
Periodo di attività
Primo Semestre (21/09/2026 - 15/01/2027)
Syllabus
Obiettivi Formativi
The course aims to illustrate the peculiarities of Medieval Germanic texts and provide students with the necessary tools to interpret them from a comparative perspective and through scrupulous examination of textual data and some related linguistic phenomena, as well as the correct process of historicization of texts.
Prerequisiti
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
Students may choose Medieval Germanic Cultures as a 9 cfu course (exam code 139046; Modules A+B+C) OR as a 6 cfu course (exam code: 13R041; Modules A+B).
Since it is an advanced course, students are required to have already attended at least one of the following courses:
Filologia germanica A
Cultura materiale nel Medioevo germanico
Fenomeni interculturali nel mondo germanico
Germanic Culture and Heritage
Intercultural Heritage Media & Archives
Before taking the exam Medieval Germanic Cultures, students must have successfully completed at least one of the exams among the introductory courses listed above.
Students may choose Medieval Germanic Cultures as a 9 cfu course (exam code 139046; Modules A+B+C) OR as a 6 cfu course (exam code: 13R041; Modules A+B).
Since it is an advanced course, students are required to have already attended at least one of the following courses:
Filologia germanica A
Cultura materiale nel Medioevo germanico
Fenomeni interculturali nel mondo germanico
Germanic Culture and Heritage
Intercultural Heritage Media & Archives
Before taking the exam Medieval Germanic Cultures, students must have successfully completed at least one of the exams among the introductory courses listed above.
Metodi didattici
Lectures and assigned readings throughout the course are conducted interactively, with ongoing discussion between reader and students. Individual and/or team projects may be assigned.
Verifica Apprendimento
The exam consists of an oral exam that aims to verify knowledge and critical skills. A short paper may also be required.
Throughout the course, students receive guidance on examination procedures together with regular discussion of content and exam strategies. The lecturer also provides a detailed assessment rubric outlining the evaluation criteria and examination format.
For a passing grade, students need to be able to talk about all the Medieval texts read in modern English translation and to read and translate into English (word by word) the texts analyzed in the original language during the course; they also need to be able to place the texts in their historical and cultural context;
For a more than satisfactory grade, students have to show an in-depth knowledge of the texts, commenting them from a linguistic and philological point of view;
For an excellent grade, students have to show an organic view of the topics discussed in class, to be able to use sources and bibliographical material, to link topics, and to master expressive skills.
Evaluation will be divided into 5 bands and will take into account both the knowledge of course contents:
(30 cum laude) – excellent; precise, correct, and appropriate.
(30-27) – very good; correct.
(26-24) – good; mostly correct.
(23-18) – acceptable; with some occasional mistakes.
(below 18) – partial and/or superficial; with numerous errors.
Throughout the course, students receive guidance on examination procedures together with regular discussion of content and exam strategies. The lecturer also provides a detailed assessment rubric outlining the evaluation criteria and examination format.
For a passing grade, students need to be able to talk about all the Medieval texts read in modern English translation and to read and translate into English (word by word) the texts analyzed in the original language during the course; they also need to be able to place the texts in their historical and cultural context;
For a more than satisfactory grade, students have to show an in-depth knowledge of the texts, commenting them from a linguistic and philological point of view;
For an excellent grade, students have to show an organic view of the topics discussed in class, to be able to use sources and bibliographical material, to link topics, and to master expressive skills.
Evaluation will be divided into 5 bands and will take into account both the knowledge of course contents:
(30 cum laude) – excellent; precise, correct, and appropriate.
(30-27) – very good; correct.
(26-24) – good; mostly correct.
(23-18) – acceptable; with some occasional mistakes.
(below 18) – partial and/or superficial; with numerous errors.
Contenuti
Deception in Medieval Germanic Literatures
The course explores the theme of deception in Medieval Germanic Literatures through the reading and analysis of texts featuring deceptive figures associated with transformation, falsehood, and cunning schemes. It is divided into three modules. Each module is accompanied by a bibliography (also available on Leganto). All poems or prose extracts will be provided by the reader via the Moodle e-learning platform, both in the original language and in translation.
Module A – Old and Middle English Literature
This module begins with the Old English Genesis, examining Lucifer’s temptation and his assumption of a deceptive guise, before turning to Deor and its Norse counterparts, Vǫlundarkviða and Þiðreks saga (Vélents þáttr). The module concludes with later Middle English developments through Chaucer’s Pardoner’s Tale, considered alongside mythological echoes of Loki in the Eddaic tradition, and selected medieval dramatic pageants (e.g. The Killing of Abel, The Flood, The Virgin Mary and the Cherry Tree Episode, and The Second Shepherds’ Play).
Gabriele Cocco, “I Trowe He were a Gelding or a Mare. A Veiled Description of a Bent Pardoner”. Neophilologus, 92(2), 2008, pp. 359–366.
Catherine E. Karkov, Text and Picture in Anglo-Saxon England: Narrative Strategies in the Junius 11 Manuscript. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001, pp. 49–56.
Module B – Old and Middle High German Literature
This module begins with the father–son conflict in the Hildebrandslied and its reinterpretation in the Old Norse Hildibrandskviða, examining the ambiguities of identity, kinship, and recognition. It then turns to the Middle High German heroic tradition through the Nibelungenlied and the Old Norse Völsunga saga, exploring the interplay of deception, loyalty, and betrayal. The module concludes with Minnesang, focusing on the works of Ulrich von Liechtenstein to investigate ambiguity as a literary and ideological device in medieval German courtly poetry.
Holger Homann, “The Hagen Figure in the Nibelungenlied: Know Him by His Lies”. MLN, 97(3), 1982, pp. 759–769.
M. A. Nordtorp-Madson, “Dress, Disguise, and Shape-Shifting in Nibelungenlied and Völsunga saga”. In Gale R. Owen-Crocker and Maren Clegg Hyer (eds.), Refashioning Medieval and Early Modern Dress: A Tribute to Robin Netherton. Woodbridge: Boydell & Brewer, 2019, pp. 45–58.
Module C – Old Norse-Icelandic Literature
This module explores the central theme of the course through Old Norse mythology, with emphasis on the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda. Through selected poems (e.g. Lokasenna; Þrymskviða; Grímnismál) and prose passages (e.g. Gylfaginning), students will explore figures associated with deceit, cunning, and transformation (e.g. Loki, Útgarða-Loki, and Óðinn), before turning to the chivalric sagas (e.g. Sigurðar saga þögla; Nitida saga), where the same themes are reinterpreted within the conventions of medieval romance.
Kevin J. Wanner, “Cunning Intelligence in Norse Myth: Loki, Óðinn, and the Limits of Sovereignty”. History of Religions, 48(3), pp. 211-246.
Jóhanna K. Friðriksdóttir, “The Female Ruler”, in Jóhanna K. Friðriksdóttir, Women in Old Norse Literature. Bodies, Words, and Power. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2013, pp. 107-133.
The course explores the theme of deception in Medieval Germanic Literatures through the reading and analysis of texts featuring deceptive figures associated with transformation, falsehood, and cunning schemes. It is divided into three modules. Each module is accompanied by a bibliography (also available on Leganto). All poems or prose extracts will be provided by the reader via the Moodle e-learning platform, both in the original language and in translation.
Module A – Old and Middle English Literature
This module begins with the Old English Genesis, examining Lucifer’s temptation and his assumption of a deceptive guise, before turning to Deor and its Norse counterparts, Vǫlundarkviða and Þiðreks saga (Vélents þáttr). The module concludes with later Middle English developments through Chaucer’s Pardoner’s Tale, considered alongside mythological echoes of Loki in the Eddaic tradition, and selected medieval dramatic pageants (e.g. The Killing of Abel, The Flood, The Virgin Mary and the Cherry Tree Episode, and The Second Shepherds’ Play).
Gabriele Cocco, “I Trowe He were a Gelding or a Mare. A Veiled Description of a Bent Pardoner”. Neophilologus, 92(2), 2008, pp. 359–366.
Catherine E. Karkov, Text and Picture in Anglo-Saxon England: Narrative Strategies in the Junius 11 Manuscript. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001, pp. 49–56.
Module B – Old and Middle High German Literature
This module begins with the father–son conflict in the Hildebrandslied and its reinterpretation in the Old Norse Hildibrandskviða, examining the ambiguities of identity, kinship, and recognition. It then turns to the Middle High German heroic tradition through the Nibelungenlied and the Old Norse Völsunga saga, exploring the interplay of deception, loyalty, and betrayal. The module concludes with Minnesang, focusing on the works of Ulrich von Liechtenstein to investigate ambiguity as a literary and ideological device in medieval German courtly poetry.
Holger Homann, “The Hagen Figure in the Nibelungenlied: Know Him by His Lies”. MLN, 97(3), 1982, pp. 759–769.
M. A. Nordtorp-Madson, “Dress, Disguise, and Shape-Shifting in Nibelungenlied and Völsunga saga”. In Gale R. Owen-Crocker and Maren Clegg Hyer (eds.), Refashioning Medieval and Early Modern Dress: A Tribute to Robin Netherton. Woodbridge: Boydell & Brewer, 2019, pp. 45–58.
Module C – Old Norse-Icelandic Literature
This module explores the central theme of the course through Old Norse mythology, with emphasis on the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda. Through selected poems (e.g. Lokasenna; Þrymskviða; Grímnismál) and prose passages (e.g. Gylfaginning), students will explore figures associated with deceit, cunning, and transformation (e.g. Loki, Útgarða-Loki, and Óðinn), before turning to the chivalric sagas (e.g. Sigurðar saga þögla; Nitida saga), where the same themes are reinterpreted within the conventions of medieval romance.
Kevin J. Wanner, “Cunning Intelligence in Norse Myth: Loki, Óðinn, and the Limits of Sovereignty”. History of Religions, 48(3), pp. 211-246.
Jóhanna K. Friðriksdóttir, “The Female Ruler”, in Jóhanna K. Friðriksdóttir, Women in Old Norse Literature. Bodies, Words, and Power. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2013, pp. 107-133.
Altre informazioni
All presentations and didactic materials will be regularly uploaded on the course’s e-learning platform (Moodle).
Lecture notes and materials uploaded on Moodle DO NOT replace the study of the reading list published in Leganto.
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Altre Info
Insegnamento principale
MEDIEVAL GERMANIC CULTURES (Advanced Course)