Medieval Texts Reading Group

For our Spring 2025 meeting, we will meet on May 16,  3:00 – 5:00 PM, in Kaplan 193, and we will read the short Middle English poem Wynnere and Wastoure. This peculiar mid-14th-century alliterative poem (in Middle English, but don’t be discouraged! do your best!) sets two allegorical figures, Winner and Waster, against each other in a debate about the proper use of things. They offer competing understandings of what it means to waste in the aftermath of the Black Plague. Join us for a discussion about over-using, under-using, not using, prematurely using, belatedly using, and strange medieval food stuffs led by Prof. Matthew Fisher (English).

Handouts of each reading will be available during the group meeting, but are also linked HERE.

The UCLA Medieval Texts Reading Group welcomes undergraduate, graduate, staff, and faculty interested in medieval literature. On the third Friday of each term, we meet to discuss a text in English translation from across the Global Middle Ages and consider what it tells us about its cultural and literary context. Each discussion will be led by an expert on the chosen text and its place in the wider medieval world.

No preparation is necessary (other than a brief skim of the text) and no expertise or medieval knowledge is required – only enthusiasm! Suggestions for what to read (or what kinds of texts to read) are very welcome.

For questions, contact Matthew Fisher (fisher@humnet.ucla.edu), Basil Arnould Price (basilprice@ucla.edu), or Erica Weaver (ericaweaver@humnet.ucla.edu).

This event is co-sponsored by the UCLA CMRS Center for Early Global Studies