| Unit name | Publishing the Grail |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGL30118 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Leah Tether |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of English |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit will analyse the literary, publishing and material contexts of Arthurian Grail Romance from its origins in medieval French literature (studied in translation) to its more modern English literary and cinematographical incarnations, that is from Chrétien de Troyes’ Story of the Grail (c. 1180) through to Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and Peter Ackroyd’s The Death of King Arthur (2011). This unit will build your appreciation of the development of English literary culture through an analysis specifically of the material presentation of Grail texts in manuscript, print, film and digital, considering in each case publishing strategies, book consumption trends and changing literary tastes. Using publishing theory, we will consider the ways in which these texts were put into ‘publishable’ format, investigating the kinds of marketing decisions involved in the creation of literary publications. This unit will help you to expand your understanding of one of the most important genres of English literature, and you will learn new methods of exploring reader reception through publishing strategy analysis. You will also have the opportunity to explore the Grail’s influences on literary and cultural trends internationally. The unit will additionally offer an insight into the publishing trade and you will therefore not only develop analytical and close reading skills, but also an awareness of business issues related to the book trade, a useful transferable skill for future careers.
Unit Aims:
To introduce students to the publishing contexts of key English (and related language) texts in the genre of Grail Romance.
To develop an enhanced awareness of the book consumption trends and marketing strategies associated with the publication of English literature from medieval to modern times.
To explore and evaluate the influence of Grail Romance as a key driver in broader publishing business models.
1 x 2-hr seminar per week
1 x 10-minute presentation (20%) (ILOs 1-7)
Presentation notes (up to 1,000 words) (20%) (ILOs 1-7)
1 x 3000-word essay (60%) (ILOs 1-7)
Set texts:
Chrétien de Troyes, 'The Story of the Grail', in Arthurian Romances, trans. Kibler, Penguin, 1991
Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur (Norton Critical Editions), Norton & Co, 2003
Peter Ackroyd, The Death of King Arthur, Penguin, 2011
Set film:
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Secondary reading:
A Companion to the History of the Book, ed. Eliot/Rose, Wiley-Blackwell, 2009
Richard Guthrie, Publishing: Principles and Practice, Sage, 2011
