Narrator: Listen to part of a lecture in a poetry class. The professor is discussing thirteenth century poetry.
Professor: Okay, so, today we’re looking at two poems, both written around, uh… the thirteenth century. What was going on in history around that time?
Female Student: That was around the start of the Renaissance, right?
Professor: Yes that’s right. It was the end of the Medieval Period and the very start of the Renaissance…
Female Student: But professor, I don’t understand how these could be written at about the same time. The occ—ox—however it’s pronounced… that one has a lot of repetition and really simple lines. The other one is more… more poetic. I mean, they’re just so different!
Professor: Well, think about the different features of the poetry we’ve studied so far in class.
Female Student: Uh-huh.
Professor: Poems that are meant to be heard are written differently than poems that are meant to be read. Sicilian School poetry was the first poetry type that was written instead of sung, and it was a very early Renaissance poetry. Occitan poetry was a little earlier—in fact it’s considered Medieval—so it was typically presented orally, uh… was sung. But there are even—even more important differences. Let’s start with the earlier, Medieval, one first. That’s Occitan.
Occitan poems were written just before the Renaissance began, and they were on a variety of topics—from… from romance, to politics, to historical lessons. For the most part, they were written for landholders, who were the only ones with much leisure time. In fact, some theorize that Occitan poetry was started by the court jesters, the, uh… comedians for nobility. They wrote songs, musical poetry, and this whole genre of poetry was born. How would… could someone summarize the main features of the Occitan poem you read?
Male Student: Well, there’s the man and woman who are in love. And the woman’s family that the man has to convince… has to show that he’s a good guy. When the family doesn’t, uh… doesn’t like him, doesn’t approve of him, he and the woman start a romance in secret.
Professor: Okay, now… given that the intended audience was landholders, why do you think these poems might have been written? What purpose might they have served?
Female Student: Well I guess it was probably meant to be entertaining. It tells a story, and you really want to know how it ends. So it was just something they could listen to and have fun with?
Professor: Good. And because these were supposed to be sung, there’s a lot of repetition—maybe so people could sing along. There were also interchangeable lines so singers could, uh… adapt on the spot. The other poem, the Renaissance one from the Sicilian School, also involves a love story. But what makes this romance different from the romance in the Occitan poem?
Well, first, the roles of the characters are different. In the older, Occitan poem, the man is the aggressor. He pursues the woman and he eventually is able to, well… create a romantic relationship with her. But in the Sicilian School poem, it’s the woman who gets her way. She knows what she wants, and she is the instigator in the relationship. Throughout this poem, the traditional roles of men and women seem to be reversed. And remember when this was written—this is in the thirteenth century, so women didn’t have much power. They were expected to obey men in almost all aspects of their lives.
What explains this role reversal? Well, digging into the society in the Sicilian School at the time explains a lot. The Renaissance was just starting, and new ideas about society were beginning to appear. But the royals still had complete control over poetry. The only topics that poets were, uh—that poets were allowed to write about, um… to compose poetry about—were courtship and romance. Politics, religion—all of that—could not be mentioned in poems. At least, not openly.
Undoubtedly, this was at least partly because this time period was so volatile politically! The kings and queens, the monarchy, the traditional source of power… was losing power. And at the same time the middle class was gaining power. Poets sensed a dramatic change was coming, but they weren’t allowed to write about it.
So how did they get around that? They wrote about love… love stories that had role reversals and power reversals. The men, and by analogy the king and royalty, were placed in lower roles. And the women, the traditionally less powerful group, were given the power. In their own way, these poets were talking about the rise of the middle class and the transfer of power to those who traditionally had none. While seemingly restricted in what they could write, these Sicilian School poets were speaking to their time and to what was starting to go on around them.
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What is the main purpose of the lecture? |
Gist-purpose. The professor discusses two poems. One is a traditional, medieval poem, and the other reflects the transition to the Renaissance. |
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| ✗ | A To investigate Renaissance poetry |
Only one poem is from the Renaissance, and the lecture doesn’t cover any other types of Renaissance poetry. |
| ✗ | B To explain why Sicilian School poetry involves role reversals |
This choice overgeneralizes about Sicilian School poetry, and doesn’t address the Occitan poem. |
| ✗ | C To explain how romantic relationships changed in the thirteenth century |
Romance was the topic of the poems, but not the topic of the lecture. |
| ✓ | D To compare two different types of poetry using an example from each period |
Correct. Occitan and Sicilian School poems are compared. |
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What does the professor say about Occitan poetry written during the Medieval Period? |
Detail. The professor discusses the Occitan poem at length. It features a secret romance and was likely meant for entertainment purposes, to name a few characteristics. |
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| ✗ | A It was more popular than Sicilian School poetry. |
This comparison is not made in the lecture. |
| ✓ | B It was primarily sung, rather than read. |
Correct. The earlier Occitan poetry was mostly sung. The Sicilian School poetry is named as one of the first types of poetry meant to be read. |
| ✗ | C It was a tool court jesters could use to raise their status. |
There is no discussion of raising the status of court jesters. |
| ✗ | D It developed from Sicilian School poetry. |
The lecture contradicts this—Occitan poetry was from an earlier period. |
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Why does the professor mention the start of the Renaissance? |
Organization. The two poems were both written around this time. The Occitan poem was written just before the Renaissance, and the Sicilian School poem was written just after it. |
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| ✗ | A To emphasize the growing popularity of poetry in this time |
The professor does not discuss whether the popularity of poetry changed over time. |
| ✓ | B To explain one of the differences between the two poems being discussed |
Correct. One was written at the beginning of the Renaissance, while the other was written beforehand. |
| ✗ | C To point out similarities between poems written during this time period |
The focus is on contrasting the two poems much more than noting their similarities. |
| ✗ | D To provide evidence that Occitan poets were attempting to change traditional mindsets of the time |
The professor does not mention this idea. |
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According to the professor, what topics were forbidden to Sicilian School poets? Choose 2 answers. |
Detail. The only topics these poets were allowed to write about were courtship and romance. |
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| ✓ | a Politics |
Correct. The professor explicitly states that politics were forbidden in poems written at that time. |
| ✗ | b Romance |
This topic is mentioned as permissible. |
| ✓ | c Religion |
Correct. The professor explicitly states that religion was a forbidden topic in poems written at that time. |
| ✗ | d Courtship |
This topic is mentioned as permissible. |
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According to the professor, what is true of the romance described in the Occitan poem and the romance described in the Sicilian School poem? Classify each of the following phrases as applying either to 1. Occitan Poetry or 2. Sicilian School Poetry. |
Connecting Content. The Occitan poem is described as a more traditional, albeit secretive, romance. The Sicilian School poem illustrates a reversal of traditional gender roles. |
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| a Is conducted in secret ____ |
1. OCCITAN POETRY. The student explains that when the family does not approve of the romance, it becomes a secret romance. |
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| b Features a woman as the aggressor ____ |
2. SICILIAN SCHOOL POETRY. Reversal of traditional gender roles is one of the ways that poets were able to comment on the changing social norms of the time. |
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| c Involves the woman’s family ____ |
1. OCCITAN POETRY. The man initially tries to win the approval of the woman’s family in the Occitan poem. |
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| d Is used as social commentary ____ |
2. SICILIAN SCHOOL POETRY. Though it is intentionally hidden, political and social commentary is featured in the Sicilian School poem. |
Narrator: Listen again to part of the lecture. Then answer the question.
Professor: Throughout this poem, the traditional roles of men and women seem to be reversed. And remember when this was written—this is in the thirteenth century, so women didn’t have much power. They were expected to obey men in almost all aspects of their lives.
What explains this role reversal?
Narrator: Why does the professor say this:
Professor: What explains this role reversal?
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Function of What Is Said. The professor is going into the social commentary developed in the Sicilian School poem. He later answers his own question by saying that the role reversal reflected the reversal of power dynamics that was beginning to occur in society at that time. |
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| ✗ | A To invite members of the class to answer directly |
There is no student response—the question is rhetorical. |
| ✗ | B To emphasize that this question cannot be answered |
He subsequently answers this rhetorical question. |
| ✓ | C To introduce a rhetorical question that he is about to answer |
Correct. This introduces the topic that follows in the lecture. |
| ✗ | D To remind students of the importance of thinking critically about poetry |
The professor does not mention this idea. |