Robin Chapman Stacey                                                Tuesday, 10:30-noon

106 Smith Hall (between 1^st and 2^nd floors)                   543-9418                                

Spring quarter, 2005                                                     rcstacey@u.washington.edu

CELTIC CIVILIZATIONS OF THE MIDDLE AGES

HSTAM 276

            Celtic history is a field bedeviled by paradoxes.  On the one hand, Ireland alone preserves the richest vernacular literature of the early middle ages:  volumes and volumes of annals, law tracts, narrative tales and poetry, several early saints’ lives, and genealogies that run to 13,000 names and counting.  On the other, its history, along with that of Wales, Scotland, and Brittany remains a virtual unknown to the vast majority of medieval historians.  Traditionally, Ireland has appeared in standard medieval textbooks (if at all) principally as the “savior” of a western civilization in which it is then, bizarrely, imagined as having never subsequently participated.  Wales and Scotland have fared even worse in textbook accounts, showing up only briefly—and then only in order to be vanquished (or ultimately not, in the case of Scotland) by the English.  What is true of the historiography is true also of views held about the field itself.  Celtic is immensely popular in non-academic circles:  the size of this class alone (one of the largest in the department) itself makes the point.  So too do the popularity of Celtic books in bookstores across the country, the widespread enthusiasm shown for St. Patrick’s Day even in states without large Irish populations, and the existence of modernday groups devoted to druidry and Celtic nature practices.  However, the enthusiasm shown by people in the community for Celtic and Celtic-oriented topics is not replicated in academia itself.  Only a very few Celtic specialists across the country ever find employment in standard academic departments, and most were hired despite being able to teach the subject rather than because of it.  

            Paradoxes like these are not the main subject of this class, but they are the shadowy subtext lurking behind much of what we will study this quarter.  There are two principal themes to this course:  identity and tradition.  By “identity” is meant “Celtic” identity--the notion that the peoples and cultures we will study this term display common characteristics that one can legitimately term “Celtic.”  As we will see, this is a more complicated subject than it might at first appear.  The “Celtic” peoples we will study this term were widespread throughout the ancient and medieval worlds, a fact that in itself suggests regional variation and the possibility of differential change over time.  Moreover, these peoples did not exist in isolation, but rather side by side with the literate cultures of the ancient and Christian worlds.  Distinguishing what is “Celtic” from what is not can be a difficult proposition indeed.  Related to the issue of “identity” is that of “tradition”:  how traditions are transmitted and how they change over time in response to changing perceptions and priorities.  It is a common assumption that Celtic-speaking peoples were both capable of and interested in transmitting “traditional” beliefs unchanged throughout the centuries.  However, for many of these peoples, the past served primarily as a means by which to talk about the present, and a fact that makes it difficult to talk about “tradition” as though it were always and everywhere an immutable constant.  A large part of our efforts this quarter will thus be devoted to understanding the “construction of tradition” rather than its verbatim transmission over time.

As will be evident from the syllabus, primary source discussion is an important part of this course.  My aim is to give you a chance to encounter firsthand the texts from which historians work.  You will find them in many ways quite congenial:  most of them are self-consciously literary and almost all are enormous fun to read.  On the other hand, what makes them appealing as literature makes them also challenging to use as historical sources.  A key element of this course will be learning how to “read” history through literature, learning how a culture’s view of itself can provide important glimpses into the reality of that culture.  It is important to realize that discussion is an absolutely key component of this course.  The purpose of the weekly discussion sections is to encourage you to confront these texts and personalities yourself—to learn to pose questions about them, to analyze and understand their experiences, to listen to what they have to say.   

            One of the other major goals of this course is to improve your skills both in the reading and analysis of primary sources, and in writing a persuasive historical essay grounded in those sources.  (Primary sources, for those not familiar with the term, are sources written during the time period under consideration; secondary sources are works written by modern historians about that historical period.)   It is to this end that two papers have been assigned for this class. The first is a short (3-4 pages, due April 8th) exercise that asks you to read and analyze an excerpt from an important historical source.  Because the key to successful writing is rewriting, this paper has a mandatory rewrite (due April 29^th).   The second paper is a middle length (5-7 pages, due May 20th) research paper on a primary source or sources of your own choosing. Guidelines for both papers and topic suggestions for both papers will be provided for you.

            There will also be two exams in this class, the format for which will be the following.  Midterm (April 21^st):  a short map quiz, short answer/ID, and one essay question.  Final (June 8^th):  short answer/ID, a section that asks you to analyze and write about document excerpts, essay question(s).  All short answer/ID questions will be taken from the study guides provided to you.

Readings

Seven books are required for this class and are available for purchase in the University Bookstore.  They are, in order of appearance:

The Celtic Heroic Age, ed. John Koch with John Carey

The Tain, transl. Thomas Kinsella

The Mabinogi and Other Medieval Welsh Tales, transl. Patrick Ford

The Celtic Poets, transl. Patrick Ford 

Adamnan of Iona, The Life of Columba, transl. Richard Sharpe

The Journey through Wales and the Description of Wales, transl. Lewis Thorpe

The Romance of Arthur, ed. James J. Wilhelm

Index to online resources

In addition to the published sources, we will be making use of a number of online readings this term. There are four main sources of online resources from which we will be drawing this term.  They are:  1) OUGL electronic reserves, which can be accessed only by machines on campus; 2) CELT, a project based at University College Cork dedicated to making available to online users excellent modern editions and translations of important sources relating especially to Ireland; and 3) the Celtic Literature Collective, which is less scholarly than CELT but reproduces existing translations of many important Celtic texts; 4) the Internet Medieval Sourcebook, a translation project based at Fordham which provides reliable translations of a variety of medieval texts extant from western Europe and Byzantium.  These are all rich resources for paper topic texts, and I urge you to seek out their home pages and browse their indices for ideas.

OUGL Electronic Reserves.  Sources on electronic reserves can be accessed from any machine on campus by those with a UW UserNet ID.  Go to the home page of the UW library website, click on “Course Reserves” and then “Electronic Reserves.”  You will be asked to provide your UW User ID and password.   

Excerpts from “The Colloquy of the Old Men.”  A translation of the entire piece is available for those who may wish to write on this for their paper, at

http://www.yorku.ca/inpar/colloquy_ogrady.pdf

“Origin Legends and Pedigrees of the Uí Néill and the Airgialla”

“The Phantom Chariot of Cú Chulainn,” or, if you prefer to read this text off-campus, you may access it through the Celtic Literature Page at

http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/ctexts/cuchulain4.html

“Of the Race of Conaire Mor”  

“The Second Battle of Moytura”:  electronic reserves or, if you would prefer to read this text off-campus, you can access it also at CELT:  ftp://ftp.ucc.ie/pub/celt/texts/T300010.txt

“The Settling of the Manor of Tara”

Togail Bruidne Da Derga, “The Destruction of Da Derga’s Hostel,” or, if you prefer to read this text off-campus, you can access it at the Internet Medieval Sourcebook:

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1100derga.html

CELT:  Corpus of Electronic Texts.  You can access the texts directly, or find them (and many others) via the CELT home page at http://www.ucc.ie/celt/  These are the most modern and accurate translations available online.

“Bethu Brigte,” (“The Old-Irish Life of Brigit”):

ftp://ftp.ucc.ie/pub/celt/texts/T201002.txt

“The Second Battle of Moytura”:  electronic reserves or, if you would prefer to read this text off-campus, you can access it also at CELT:  ftp://ftp.ucc.ie/pub/celt/texts/T300010.txt

Celtic Literature Collective.  You can access the texts below directly, or find them (and many others) via the CLC home page at http://www.maryjones.us/

“The Adventures of Connla the Fair”:  http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/ctexts/connla.html

“The Adventures of Art son of Conn”:

http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/ctexts/art.html

Armes Prydein, “The Prophecy of Britain”:

http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/ctexts//t06.html

 “The Death of Muirchertach mac Erca”:

http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/ctexts/muircertach.html

“The Death of Niall of the Nine Hostages”:

http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/ctexts/niall.html

“The Wooing of Becfola”:

http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/ctexts/becfola.html

Internet Medieval Sourcebook.  There are a few additional Celtic texts available through the home page, at http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook.html

“The Law of Adomnan” (“Adomnan’s Law of the Innocents”):

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/CainAdamnain.html

Togail Bruidne Da Derga, “The Destruction of Da Derga’s Hostel,” or, if you prefer to read this text off-campus, you can access it at the Internet Medieval Sourcebook:

Grades will be determined according to the following percentages:

1^st paper:                                  15% (the grade for this paper will be determined in the

                                                following manner: 25% for the first draft, and 75% for the

                                                second draft)

Midterm exam:             15%

Second paper:                          30%

Final exam:                               30%

Participation in section:              10%

SECTIONS ARE AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE CLASS.  Students who miss 50% or more of their assigned section sessions without medical authorization or advance permission from the instructor will receive an automatic zero for 10% of the course.

Papers are due on the date announced, unless permission to submit late work has been obtained from the section leader in advance.  A penalty of .2 per day late (weekends count as one day) will be assessed against papers submitted after the deadline without prior authorization.

ALL ASSIGNMENTS (INCLUDING THE REWRITE) MUST BE COMPLETED IN ORDER TO PASS THE CLASS.

Students who wish their exams to be returned to them before the beginning of Autumn quarter should provide their section leader with a stamped, self-addressed envelope at the time of the final exam.  Otherwise, exams may be picked up personally from me during the first two weeks of Autumn quarter.

Note:  URLs for the online sources listed on the syllabus can be found in the “Index to Online Resources.”

CELTIC CIVILIZATIONS OF THE MIDDLE AGES

HSTAM 276

Week One: What do we mean by “Celtic”?

M         March 28         Celts medieval and modern

T          March 29         Language and ethnicity

W        March 30         From Hallstatt to La Tène

Th        March 31         Celts and the classical world

F          April 1              Discussion section:

                        The Celtic Heroic Age, fourth edition, excerpts (not pages) ##1-64

(University Bookstore and OUGL Reserve)

                        Begin reading for discussion next week:  The Táin, trans. Kinsella,

                                    pp. 1-121, 127-164, 168-205, 214-253 (Univ. Bookstore

                                    and OUGL Reserve)

Week Two:          Celtic civilizations of medieval Europe

M         April 4              Lifestyles of the rich and bibulous

T          April 5              Ireland

W        April 6              Scotland

Th        April 7 Wales (guest lecture)

F          April 8              Discussion section:

                        The Táin, pp. 1-121, 127-164, 168-205, 214-253 (Univ. Bookstore

                                    and OUGL Reserve)

3-4 PAGE SOURCE PAPER DUE IN SECTION THIS WEEK, FRIDAY, APRIL 8th    

Week Three:       Pagan religions of the Celtic world

M         April 11            Gods and goddesses (please read pp. 35-56 and 89-109 of

                                                Ford’s The Mabinogi for this class session—Univ.

                                                Bookstore and OUGL Reserve)

T          April 12            Druids, seers, and severed heads

W        April 13            Myths of time and place

Th        April 14            Travels to the Otherworld (please read excerpts ##83, ##87-88,

#91, and #113 of The Celtic Heroic Age; and the “Adventures of Connla the Fair” and “Adventures of Art son of Conn,” Celtic Literature Collective online  

F          April 15            Discussion section:

                        “The Second Battle of Moytura (Mag Tured),” (on electronic reserve,

                                    OUGL online)

                        “Lludd,” pp. 111-117 of Ford’s The Mabinogi

Week Four:         The Heroic Tradition

M         April 18            Honor, face, and fighting at feasts (please read excerpt #80

                                                of The Celtic Heroic Age for this class session)

T          April 19            Heroes within and without the tribe (please read excerpts #86 and

                                                ##93-96 of The Celtic Heroic Age and the “Death of Niall”

                                                 Celtic Literature Collective online

W        April 20            Bards and heroes (please read pp. 57-72 of Ford’s The Mabinogi,

                                                and pp. 3-17 of Ford’s The Celtic Poets (Univ. Bkstore) for

                                                this class session)

Th        April 21            MIDTERM EXAM

F          April 22            Discussion section:

                        “The Gododdin” and related poems, excerpts ##111, and ##115-140 of

                                    The Celtic Heroic Age for this class session.  Many of these poems

                                    are also translated in  Ford’s The Celtic Poets, pp. 162-189 (Univ.

                                    Bkstore), which gives the first few lines of each poem in Welsh, if

                                    you’d like to see what the original looks like.

Week Five: Conversion and the “Celtic Church”

M         April 25            Across the sea will come Axe-Head (please read excerpts ##98-99

                                                of The Celtic Heroic Age for this class session)

T          April 26            Continuities across the pagan-Christian divide (please read

                                                excerpt #109 of The Celtic Heroic Age for this class

                                                session), and “Bethu Brigte,” (“The Life of Brigit”)

                                                online at CELT.

W        April 27            The myth of the “Celtic Church”

Th        April 28            Art and architecture of the early church

F          April 29            Discussion section:

                        Adamnan’s Life of Columba, trans. Sharpe, pp. 103-234 (Univ.

                                    Bkstore and OUGL Reserve)

MANDATORY REWRITE OF 3-4 PAGE PAPER DUE IN SECTION FRIDAY, APRIL 29th

Week Six:   Kinging and unkinging

M         May 2              Art of the Golden Age 

T          May 3              Marrying the land (please read excerpts  ##97 and ##141-43, and

                                                reread excerpts ##39-49 of The Celtic Heroic Age for this

                                                class session)

W        May 4              Christianizing the sacral (please read excerpts ##92 and ##100-101

                                                of The Celtic Heroic Age for this class session)

Th        May 5              NO CLASS SESSION

F          May 6              Discussion section:

                        “The Destruction of Da Derga’s Hostel,” and “On the Race of Conaire

                                    Mór,” both on electronic reserve in OUGL online

Week Seven:        Society and the economy

M         May 9             Myths of center and province (please read “the Settling of the

                                                Manor of Tara,” and the “Origin Legends and Pedigrees of

                                                the Airgialla and the Uí Néill,” both on electronic reserve

                                                at OUGL online, for this class session)

T          May 10            “Celtic” institutions I

W        May 11            “Celtic” institutions II

Th        May 12            Social roles (please read 73-87 of Ford’s The Mabinogi for

                                                this class session)

F          May 13            Discussion section:

                        Ford, The Celtic Poets, pp. 17-37, 46-47, 51-154, 223-45

Week Eight:        The (re)construction of tradition

M         May 16            Rewriting the law

T          May 17            Rewriting the past (please read excerpts #108 and #110 of

                                                The Celtic Heroic Age for this class session)

W        May 18            Rewriting heroic tradition (please read excerpts ##81-82 and ##84-

                                                85 of The Celtic Heroic Age, and pp. 1-2 of Kinsella’s The

                                                Táin for this class session)

Th        May 19            Rewriting gender (please read excerpt #108/3 of The Celtic Heroic

                                                Age, and “The Death of Muirchertach mac

                                                Erca,” “The Wooing of Becfola,” Celtic Literature

                                                Collective online, for this class session

F          May 20            Discussion section:

                        “The Colloquy of the Old Men,” and “The Phantom Chariot of Cu

                                    Chulainn,” on OUGL electronic reserves online and Adomnán’s

                                    ‘Law of the Innocents’ online at the Internet Medieval

                                    Sourcebook

DUE IN SECTION FRIDAY, MAY 20^TH:  5-7 PAGE PAPER ON PRIMARY SOURCE TOPIC OF YOUR CHOICE

Week Nine:          Myths of unity and resistance

M         May 23            Views from outside

T          May 24            Gaels and Normans

W        May 25            The legacy of Hywel (please read “Armes Prydein,” online at the

                                                Celtic Literature Collective and reread excerpt #140 of

                                                The Celtic Heroic Age for this class session)

Th        May 26            Kingship and Celticity in medieval Scotland

F          May 27            Discussion Section:

                        Gerald of Wales, The Journey through Wales, Book 1, Chapter 2 (pp.80-

                                    96); Bk. I , Ch. 6, (pp.121-25); Bk. 2, ch. 1, (pp.160-69); Bk. 2 Ch.

                                    14 (pp. 205-9).  (OUGL and Univ. Bkstore)

                        Gerald of Wales, The Description of Wales, Bk 1, ch. 7-end (pp. 231-74).

                                    (OUGL and Univ. Bkstore)

Week Ten: Arthur and the appropriation of Celtic tradition

M         May 30            NO CLASS TODAY—MEMORIAL DAY

T          May 31            The archaeology of Arthur (please read pp. 3-23 of Wilhelm,

                                                The Romance of Arthur (Univ. Bkstore) for this class

                                                session)

W        June 1              The appropriation of Arthur (please read pp. 25-58 of The

                                                Romance of Arthur for this class session)

Th        June 2              Summary lecture:  Now what do we mean by “Celtic”?

F          June 3              Discussion section:

                        The Romance of Arthur, pp. 59-93 and 399-466.

FINAL EXAMINATION TO BE HELD WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8TH, 8:30-10:20 A.M., IN OUR CLASSROOM.  PLEASE BRING BLUEBOOK(S) WITH YOU TO THE EXAM.