| Final
Exam Essay Topics
You will
be required to write an essay addressing one of the following
questions. Use specific references to AT LEAST THREE texts (historical
or literary) to support, defend, and develop your position. (You
must prove you have read the texts and that you can use your reading
intelligently by referring to specific passages for support).
A.
How do our contemporary (modern) views of gender or sexuality
seem to compare to those of the Middle Ages? Do you believe we
are more or less permissive? More or less promiscuous? More or
less repressed? (you might want to only focus on one of these
questions, or on another similar topic related to gender or sexuality).
Use examples from literary texts, historical texts, and your own
observations of the modern world (i.e. use examples from all three
areas). For support, refer to at least three texts (from both
the first and second halves of the semester).
B.
Using our discussion of the period, and the “historical
documents” we read, which literary work we have read this
semester do you believe best represents the late medieval period?
You may want to also address why that work is a better representative
than some other work. Focus on one work but refer to at least
three (from both the first and second halves of the semester).
C.
From Lord of the Rings to Ladyhawke, First Knight to Excalibur,
Hollywood has clearly developed a love of all things medieval.
By now, I am sure you can see that these filmic representations
are quite unlike both the “real” Middle Ages and the
literature of the Middle Ages (which was also unlike the daily
lives of most medieval people). If you were hired as a Hollywood
consultant, what one thing would you change about “medieval”
Hollywood movies in order make them more like the medieval literature
they represent. Support your proposal with referesnces to at least
three texts (from both the first and second halves of the semester). |
