[Antiquitas] Kevätkurssi Canonizing Medieval Literatures Helsingin yliopistossa 12.-15.5.2014

[Karolina Kouvola]

Canonizing Medieval Literatures
Spring School, University of Helsinki
12–15 May 2014

Call for Applications
Extended registration 14.2.2014

This course will explore the various canonizing processes of medieval  
literatures. We shall consider theoretical questions centring broadly  
on how to understand and deal with literary canons, as well as  
discussing more localized examples of the formation of medieval  
literary canons, from the Middle Ages to the present.

Scholarly interest in the canon is itself imbricated in the cultural  
memory of the medieval past. The Spring School thus welcomes  
applicants from across the fields of philology, literary criticism,  
folklore, and cultural history within relevant periods: medieval,  
early Modern and the nineteenth century.

The literature of the Middle Ages as we continue to study it was  
largely framed and defined during the nineteenth-century. Specific  
areas of concern will therefore include modern national and  
author-focused attitudes, processes and mechanisms of selection, as  
well as aesthetic judgements, determined by ‘systems of relevance’  
established by—and during—Romanticism and early nationalisms.

Northern Europe will be another focus, but viewed in the context of  
its diverse interactions with mediterranean Europe—both in the  
medieval and more recent periods. Aspects of these dynamics will be  
illustrated and examined with reference to medieval classics such as  
Abelard and Héloïse, Dante Alighieri, and Geoffrey Chaucer.

Participants are warmly encouraged to bring their own specialities  
into dialogue with the framework of canonization through presentations  
and interactive discussion.

The Spring School is a co-operation between the University of  
Helsinki, Glossa Society for Medieval Studies in Finland and the  
Centre for Medieval Literature (Odense / York). The instructors are  
Professor Lars Boje Mortensen (Odense), Dr Réka Forrai (Odense), and  
Dr Kenneth Clarke (York).

Fifteen students (on Ph.D. or Master’s level) will be accepted on to  
the course. Students receive 3 ECTS points for attending the course  
and completing the course assignments. If a student prepares an essay  
in addition to the course and the course assignments, s/he can receive  
5 ECTS points. Applicants are invited to send a one-page abstract to  
the coordinator Karolina Kouvola by February 14, 2014. The organizers  
can provide a travel grant from €100 to €400; to apply, include in  
your application the reason for applying for the grant, as well as an  
estimate of travel expenses.

For further information, please contact the coordinator or Prof. Lars  
Boje Mortensen.

Karolina Kouvola, University of Helsinki – Karolina.kouvola at helsinki.fi
Lars Boje Mortensen, University of Southern Denmark/Centre for  
Medieval Literature - labo at sdu.dk


-- 
Tohtorikoulutettava
Uskontotiede, Maailman kulttuurien laitos
Humanistinen tiedekunta
Helsingin yliopisto

Graduate Student
Study of Religions, Department of World Cultures
Faculty of Arts
University of Helsinki