MUSY 921 - Gothic Revivals: Reimagining the Past in 19th-century Britain

FC CNDP DDHU

4 credits
When you think of “the Middle Ages” or “the Gothic,” what do you imagine? Chances are, you’re thinking of something that was invented or at least reshaped during the nineteenth century.The chivalrous King Arthur, the operatic Valkyrie with spear and magic helmet, the spiky architecture of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Hogwarts, and even Peters Hall-all these are products of the medieval revivals that occurred across the European arts, and particularly in Britain, in the nineteenth century. In this course we will explore a wide range of creative uses of the past: in music, poetry, visual art, architecture, and popular culture. We will visit Pre-Raphaelite paintings and monastic ruins, read Arthurian poems, and think about what makes a piece of music “Gothic.” We will see first-hand how the Victorian fascination with the Middle Ages transformed key parts of London (and college architecture everywhere). And we will ask, “why?” Where did this enthusiasm for the Middle Ages come from, and what kept it going? How did older forms and themes feed modern creativity? How was neo-medievalism related to social issues (e.g. industrialism, expanding suffrage, women’s rights) and political movements (from conservative neo-feudalism to utopian socialism)? And how do its ideas and forms persist today, in everything from popular fantasy to the enduring narratives of British identity?