Chaucer: Two Dream Visions

About this course

The course examines the dream-vision genre through Chaucer’s The Book of the Duchess and The Parliament of Fowls. Discussion considers how Classical and French traditions shaped Chaucer’s English writing, alongside allegory, parody, symbolism and medieval ideas about love, choice and free will. Learners will also explore manuscript culture, readership, text structure and language. Teaching combines small-group activities with whole-class discussion, supported by handouts and presentation slides. Reading the two central poems provides the basis for examining their contrasting treatments of love and their place in medieval literature.

What you'll learn

• Identify key features of the medieval dream-vision genre
• Analyse how allegory, parody, imagery and symbolism operate in Chaucer’s poems
• Place Chaucer’s writing within relevant Classical, French and medieval literary contexts
• Explain aspects of Chaucer’s contribution to fourteenth-century English literature
• Use translations to engage with selected Middle English texts

Is this course right for you?

The course is intended for learners at all levels, and no previous knowledge of literature is necessary. Participation involves contributing ideas in small-group and whole-class discussions, listening to other interpretations and engaging with language that may initially look unfamiliar.

• Suitable for learners without prior literature study
• Includes regular verbal discussion in groups and as a whole class
• Requires willingness to persevere with challenging or unfamiliar language

Before you go

• Learners should read The Book of the Duchess and The Parliament of Fowls before attending.
• Translations of both poems are available online.
• Learners may bring a complete Middle English edition of Chaucer’s works if they wish.