YOUTH INITIATIVE HIGH SCHOOL
Waldorf Initiative in Viroqua, Wisconsin, USA
COURSES AND CLASSES
Parzival
YIHS 11th Grade
March 19-April 5, 2007
---Jacob Hundt---
“A brave man yet slowly wise is he whom I hail my hero!”
--Wolfram von Eschenbach
Wolfram von Eschenbach’s epic romance Parzival is the story of a young knight’s adventures and education as he pursues his quest for the enigmatic Grail. Composed in Medieval German verse around the year 1200 AD, at a time when Medieval European civilization was entering its era of brightest flowering, Parzival has been described by Joseph Campbell, Rudolf Steiner, and other thinkers as emblematic of a key transformation in Western culture. Wolfram’s romance describes a young man who has been raised in isolation in the middle of a dark forest by his fearful mother. As a result, Parzival, this “pure fool,” must stumblingly find his own way towards fulfillment and wisdom, relying primarily on his own inner resources rather than on the crutches of external culture and institutions. The story of Parzival is thus highly significant for modern people like us, who so often seem to find ourselves struggling to find a dignified way through the dark forest of the world.
Although reading and interpreting Wolfram’s poem will form the core work of this block, the scope of the class will encompass more than simply literature. The themes of Parzival and the other Medieval Grail romances constitute a central, if not always obvious, strand in our culture. We will thus also be looking for the Grail, the Grail Hero, and the Grail Quest in other forms of art, including music and film. We will begin each class session with about a half-hour of singing, choosing pieces from the Medieval period and later times. We will also be viewing and discussing at least two popular films that incorporate important elements of the Parzival story. There are a variety of options to choose from and the class have a chance decide once the block has begun. In this way, we will be able to bring this distinctly modern story out of the mists of Medieval history and into the familiar light of the present day.
Class Requirements
1. Read Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival and come to each class prepared to discuss the assigned chapters.
2. For each class, select a passage from that day’s assigned reading that you find meaningful and interesting. Be prepared to deliver a dramatic rendition of your passage and to explain your choice to the class.
3. Participate actively and attentively in class discussions and other activities.
4. There will be one or two quizzes covering characters and events in the text during the block and a take-home final examination covering all aspects of the class, including films.
6. Final project. All students will be expected to design, propose, and complete a substantial final project relating to some aspect of the Parzival story. Projects may be artistic, scholarly, or practical in nature, but they must require a minimum of fifteen hours to complete. Students should keep a log of the hours they work, to be submitted with the finished projects. Written proposals for final projects will be presented in class on Friday, March 30 and completed projects will be due on April 16, following the Spring Break.