Read these three Wikipedia articles: the Matter of Britain, the Matter of France, and the Matter of Rome.
Pick a literary work listed under one of these  Matters on the pages below that follow.
Read the Wikipedia article on the literary work.
Summarize the relevant  Matter (Britain, France, or Rome) in 2 sentences.
Write a 2 sentence summary of the of main subject or contents of the work in your own words based on the
Wikipedia article.
Explain what interests you about the work.
The Matter of Britain
Choose one of the following works in the Matter of Britain:
The Lais of Marie de France (composed in Anglo-Norman French) See Wikipedia article
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lais_of_Marie_de_France
Le Morte d’Arthur (“The Death of King Arthur”) by Thomas Malory, volume 1 or volume 2 (composed in Middle
English) See Wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Morte_d%27Arthur
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (composed in Middle English) See Wikipedia article
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Gawain_and_the_Green_Knight
Perce forest: The Prehistory of King Arthur’s Britain See Wikipedia article
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perceforest
The Matter of France
Choose a work from the Matter of Rome:
Troilus and Criseyde by Geoffrey Chaucer (composed in Middle English) See Wikipedia article
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troilus_and_Criseyde
The Romance of Octavian See Wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavian_(romance)
The Matter of Rome
Choose a work from the Matter of Rome:
Troilus and Criseyde by Geoffrey Chaucer (composed in Middle English) See Wikipedia article
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troilus_and_Criseyde
The Romance of Octavian See Wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavian_(romance)
Then: pick an episode/section and read it!
Choose an episode or section of the work (you may wish to consult with your professor) and read it. Links
below:
Le Morte d’Arthur (“The Death of King Arthur”) by Thomas Malory, volume 1 volume 2
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Perceforest: The Prehistory of King Arthur’s Britain
La Chanson de Roland
Valentine and Orson
Troilus and Criseyde
The Romance of Octavian
Project Instructions
1) Explain how the passage represents an important moment in the work and why (20%). 2) Explain what the passage reveals about the characters in the work, focusing on how the characters embody or challenge chivalric ideals