We Did It :)

We made it. Well I guess we can’t really say that until the final, but overall we actually did it!

When I signed up for this class I was not exactly sure what to expect. The last English class I’ve taken was in high school; it was my very first college level class. My senior year, our English class was solely about British Literature so I was somewhat prepared for what we were going to read. I was excited to see Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales on the list because I had already read them. However, I was a little weary about the other texts especially the tougher ones like Paradise Lost or Utopia. Nevertheless, I still went into it with an open mind and it seems to have to turn out for the better.

Beowulf has always been my favorite, mostly because this naked man takes on a man-eating monster with his bare hands. I learned to love it more and more though after doing close reading in class. In high school, we had the modern English version, so it wasn’t that hard to decipher what was being said. The same can be said about The Canterbury Tales; we definitely did not have the Middle English version. At first the language scared me and I could barely understand it but after awhile I actually started to get the hang of it. Many people fear Chaucer because of the Middle English, but personally, I love him way over Shakespeare. Unlike like Shakespeare, Chaucer says what he wants to say without making it so confusing. You still have to think about it, but it doesn’t take you forever to decipher what he is actually trying to say.

Talking about hard to read text, that was a good bit of the readings. For some reason I just couldn’t grasp Paradise Lost, more so Utopia. I didn’t give up hope though. After reading over and over again I slowly got it. It wasn’t until we discussed certain passages when I finally grasped it. Prose is definitely not my forte.

I said Beowulf was my favorite, but that was before this class. Now, at the end of the term, I would have to say my preference has swayed to something way darker. Honestly, I really liked Dr. Faustus because I felt like for me personally it was the most relatable. I must make it clear I’m not interested in selling my soul to the devil or in hopes of a demon prankster. I loved Dr. Faustus only because I can relate to his character. I completely understood his boredom, loneliness, curiosity, and even his pride to an extent. That is about it though, thankfully. You will not see me signing anything with my blood anytime soon.

I’m just glad that I made it through this semester. Like Dr. MB said, we did indeed read some tough material but it will totally make us sound so much smarter in a conversation; it’s definitely a great nerdy icebreaker.

Best of luck to everyone :)

The Summoner and the Pardoner

When I read the Canterbury Tales in high school, my English teacher brought up a rather interesting part of the General Prologue. When Chaucer describes these inseparable pilgrims, the Summoner and the Pardoner, he says they are the most corrupt of any of the other travelers. They are both officers of the Church, yet neither follow the "guidelines", or beliefs, that come with the job. The Summoner, being the man who brings in the accused to the ecclesiastical court, is one scary man. He has a face so scarred that it frightens children and a drinking habit so bad that makes him very irritable. I would say we could find a better guy for the job. Then there is the Pardoner. This beardless, long haired fellow is a high figure within the Church. This guy is very much a fraud, especially with his "holy" veil. He also loves to keep those charitable "donations" for himself. So yes, we have two horrible men picked to do civic, god-like duties. I think the lady down the street,baking cookies would do a better job than either of these men.
HOWEVER.
Despite their flaws of not understanding what the Church stood for, there are suggestions that these men could have actually loved each other. My teacher pointed out how the narrator describes the Pardoner has a gelding or a mare. Could this be suggesting he is a homosexual or eunuch? At line 673, another mention of his homosexuality could be suggested. It says that he would harmonize (The Pardoner loved to sing. What gay man doesn't love singing!?! I love to sing :P) with the Summoner's "stif burdoun" (sturdy bass). These two men loved to sing to and with each other. Plus they're both really shitty people; what a beautiful love story!
Overall, I find this VERY VERY interesting. We all know that homosexuals have made great contributions to literature throughout the ages, but it's interesting that it was actually "talked"about within a story. Chaucer simply describes the possible lifestyle of both the Summoner and Pardoner, yet he doesn't judge it or ridicule it.

Grendel dies, then Momma whops some ass.

Beowulf is one of my favorites, especially when I read it in high school my senior year. 

I find the whole situation of Grendel's attacks on Heorot very ironic. This great mead hall, "meant to be a wonder of the world forever", built by the mighty King Hrothgar was taken over by one single monster. The Danes were powerful and I assume they won many battles, yet they're all almost  slaughtered by this ONE monster. 

I find it interesting that they cannot even get help within their own country either. No man or woman within Denmark steps up to try to challenge Grendel. Thank the Lord that Beowulf shows up! Even though I think his idea of fighting without any weapons... or clothes is a little, um, INSANE, he still manages to defeat the horrible monster. Of course the Danes are beyond thrilled that this man took on this monster, weaponless, but they all celebrate way too soon.

 Despite the victory, the irony comes back into play when Momma Grendel comes and, well, whoops some drunk Danes' asses. Yet again, it only takes one womanly monster to murder a decent number of men. But then again, it only takes one man, Beowulf, to kill both Grendel and his crazy momma. 

I'm just curious about the impact that just one individual can have, good or bad. 

I somehow deleted my previous post, so here it is resubmitted.