Module Information

Academic rationale of the proposal:
This module will use the writings of Gerald of Wales to appreciate how the work of one individual can throw light upon various aspects of contemporary life and society. Gerald, of mixed Norman and Welsh heritage, was perhaps one of the most famous writers to emerge from medieval Wales. Highly educated, he wrote extensively about the English conquest of Ireland, about Welsh society, English and European society and politics, in addition to producing ? unusually for the period ? various autobiographical writings, treatises on theology and doctrine, a king'r mirror, and various saints? lives. He forms one of the key sources not only for medieval Welsh and Irish history, but for the manner in which high medieval Europeans engaged with the world around them. With a sense of self-worth surpassed only by his ability to use satire and invective, he also makes for enjoyable, though often garrulous readings.
His writings form a window onto the intellectual and literary world of the high middle ages and an in depth reading of them will develop an understanding of matters ranging from high politics to identity and church reform. By getting to grips with the concerns, preoccupations, prejudices and thoughts of one individual a deeper understanding will be gained of medieval sources and of the ways of thinking of the period. Students will be expected to engage in close reading of the sources and to place Gerald'r work within its literary context, while addressing some of the methodological challenges which come with reading these types of sources. Students will also be introduced to the key secondary sources and the way Gerald and his significance has been discussed and understood by historians.

Brief Description:
This module uses the writings of one of the most interesting writers of the high middle ages as a window onto the intellectual and literary world of the period, and discusses the way his work informs us about aspects of the life of the twelfth century. Gerald'r writings will be placed in their literary context and will be used to explore the intellectual world, historical writing and ethnography of the period. His work will also be used to throw light upon matters ranging from the church, both in Wales and internationally, to high politics and identity in the high middle ages. Throughout the module, students will engage in close reading of the sources and come to understand the relationship between one writer and the world around him.

Content:
(Indicative content):
1. Introduction: the man and his work
2. The world of Gerald of Wales
3. Gerald and the intellectual world of the central middle ages
4. Gerald and historical writing in the twelfth century
5. Gerald the ethnographer
6. Gerald and identity
7. Gerald and the Anglo-Norman British Isles
8. Gerald and the Welsh church
9. Gerald and church reform
10. Gerald within the central middle ages: overview and conclusions