Students will learn the fundamentals of Middle High German grammar and will read selections from major narrative works of the High Middle Ages. Selections from major works from the 13th century.

This is the gateway course for students who want to read, in the original language, German texts written between 1100 and 1500. It pairs well with German 270 (History of the German Language) and is useful for students of German who are taking courses that feature texts written before 1700 as well as for those in other fields who plan to conduct archival research involving earlier German texts. Middle High German (MHG) is also useful for students studying Yiddish and other earlier Germanic literatures. For those who have not previously tackled a ‘historical’ language, the course provides an approach to learning languages no longer spoken that preserve traces of cultures no longer directly accessible. It introduces hallmark authors and genres from the first great age of German secular literature, including the Nibelungenlied and the romances of Hartmann von Aue and Gottfried von Strassburg. The course helps students acquire the fundamentals of MHG grammar and learn to approach the court culture of the High Middle Ages in Germany through textual evidence. By the end of the semester most students gain enough skill in the language and familiarity with courtly literary traditions to let them undertake further reading and research in these areas without additional formal instruction.

Credit Restrictions

Open to graduate students when 203 is not offered.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills