(Recorded Course) Romanticizing the Middle Ages with Joseph Pearce

In this high school literature course (history/literature/poetry credit), learn about Romanticism, Neo-Medievalism, and the Middle Ages with famous poets like Blake, Dante, Wordsworth, Keats, Tennyson, and more. 

How to get the most out of Romanticizing the Middle Ages with Joseph Pearce:

  • First, read the course materials below before the first class meeting.

  • Then have a notebook ready and available for class notes each live session.

  • Read assignments before class meetings

  • Watch that week’s recording if you need to revisit information from our live session.

  • Do the assignments, quizzes, and any extra work assigned for that week.

  • Once the course is completed to the parent's and professor’s satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.

Total Classes: 6

Duration: 55 minutes

Prerequisite: The ability to read and enjoy great art and poetry.

Suggested Grade Level: 9th to 12th Grade

Suggested Credit: ½ semester Literature, Poetry, or History

Instructor: Joseph Pearce

Instructor Email: joseph.pearce@augustineinstitute.org

Course Description: This cross-disciplinary course (art and literature) shows students how poets and artists in the nineteenth century romanticized the Middle Ages -- and how this neo-medievalism laid the foundations for the great Catholic literary revival of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Course Outline:

Class 1: Romanticism and Neo-Medievalism: William Blake & Dante

Class 2: Romantic Poets and the Blessed Virgin: Wordsworth & Coleridge

Class 3: Knights and Damsels: Coleridge, Keats & Sir Walter Scott

Class 4: Poets and Pre-Raphaelites: Tennyson, Rossetti & Millais

Class 5: The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood: Purity & Passion

Class 6: From Romance to Rome: Newman & Hopkins

Course Materials: All poetry will be provided in a single document free by Professor Pearce for use throughout the course. The works of art will be illustrated in the PowerPoint Presentations for each class.

Homework: The homework for each class will include the reading assignment for the week (approximately 1 hour) and then reviewing for, and taking, the weekly quiz (approximately 1 hour).