This class is for the poets/poetry enthusiasts among you who would like to investigate the funny, seedier, ?saltier? side of medieval poetry-the fabliaux. These are the "dirty" French poems that amused one and all with their deft turn of phrase and wordplay. Though the jongleurs, who were credited most with this form, did not pen the ditty that begins, "There once was a man from Nantucket," because that is altogether too tame for a fabliau, they did produce some very creative and even awe-inspiring poetry whose subject matter is not for the faint of heart or young of age. The class will delve into the forms, themes, and comparisons of the French form to the similar "racy" forms found in other languages and cultures. Please note: this class will not be recorded. |