English 120 Celtic Worlds
Craig R. Davis
TTh 10:30-11:50

A reading in translation of classical authors on the ancient Celts and the later imaginative literature of medieval Ireland and Wales. We will explore conceptions of this and the Otherworld; the character of the Celtic gods; the transmigration of souls and cauldrons of rebirth; the dynamic relation between Christian and traditional values; the celebration of warfare, sexuality and motherhood; the relationship between druidism, madness and prophecy; the lives of the Celtic saints; and the earliest origins of the Arthurian legend. Several 5-page critical essays and a reading journal. No final exam. Enrollment limited to 20.