COMP 244
On Monsters, Demons, and Dragons: The Supernatural in the Middle Ages Spring 2025
Division I

Class Details

Medieval literature overflows with supernatural creatures. They populate travel accounts, religious texts, chivalric quests, and descriptions of dreams and the afterlife. Some of them are unique to certain traditions, while others encompass different areas of the world. This course aims to address the presence of the supernatural in Medieval literature, in texts such as the Legenda Aurea, Saint Brendan’s Voyage, Wonders of the East, Ibn Fadlan and the Land of Darkness, the Divine Comedy, and the Decameron, among others. Students will analyze the supernatural in different kinds of medieval texts (written between 900 and 1500 CE in Europe and Asia) and its intersection with art, history, and science, trying to understand its purpose and literary wealth while exploring the audience’s expectations and its reception in contemporary media.
The Class: Format: seminar
Limit: 20
Expected: 20
Class#: 3667
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: Students will be evaluated on their participation through in-class and online discussions, short mid-term papers, and a final project.
Prerequisites: None
Enrollment Preferences: Comparative Literature majors, English majors
Distributions: Division I

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