Medieval Literature (Dante, Boccaccio, Chaucer) OpenCourseWare: A Free Online Undergraduate Class by MIT on Medieval Literature
Explore three of the most influential authors of the Middle Ages in this free online OpenCourseWare. In MIT's 'Medieval Literature: Dante, Boccaccio, Chaucer,' students read and analyze major works from Dante, Chaucer and Boccaccio, including selections from the 'Divine Comedy' and the 'Decameron.' This undergraduate course is well suited to students seeking a Bachelor of Arts in English, Literature or History.
Medieval Literature (Dante, Boccaccio, Chaucer): Course Specifics
| Degree Level | Free | Audio | Video | Downloads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Lectures/Notes | Study Materials | Tests/Quizzes |
|---|---|---|
| No | Yes | No |
Medieval Literature (Dante, Boccaccio, Chaucer): Course Description
The writings of Medieval authors Boccaccio, Dante and Chaucer have exerted influence on Western literature and ideas for centuries. In MIT's course on Medieval literature, Professor James Cain suggests that the longevity of these authors' works can be attributed to the universality of their themes, from love to religion to personal aspirations. Students who take 'Medieval Literature: Dante, Boccaccio, Chaucer' explore the unique style of Medieval literature through major texts by these three authors. Over the course of the class, students read the entire Divine Comedy by Dante, selections from Boccaccio's Decameron and all of Chaucer's Troilus & Criseyde in the original Middle English. These texts are compared with other Medieval writings in the Troubadour tradition and the dolce stil nuovo style. To supplement the reading of these texts, students write reader responses and a final paper that will guide their formal analysis of the readings. This lecture-based course was taught on the MIT campus in 2005 by Professor Cain.
Selected class readings, written assignments and supplementary texts are available for download on the course website. If you're interested in exploring Chaucer, Boccaccio and Dante, visit the Medieval literature course page.
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