Before you start scoffing and claiming that I am merely killing time until midterms, hear me out. Okay, it's true that this is a perfect time to NOT start anything new, and I do have grading, of course; however, there is more merit to this than you may realize.
First, Monty Python -- the British comedy troupe -- has become inextricably associated with all that is "British" in the minds of many. Their educated humor and sharp-minded wit have helped to define what we think of as British comedy, certainly. Their biting satire has taken aim at the British government (and our own), and Britain's monarchy, institutions and social customs. In a sense, their humor (like Shakespeare's) is timeless; no period of history is safe from ridicule (or illumination), and no taboo is too taboo.
Second, the movie is a send-up of everything we've studied so far regarding the Middle Ages. They touch on Arthurian Lit and the Grail quest motif (of course), and also feudalism, knighthood, chivalry, courtly love, serfdom, The Church, the plague, printing, humanism, witchcraft hysteria, the Hundred Years War, the French, the Black Knight, and coconuts. Okay, coconuts are not necessarily part of the curriculum. The point is...whatever. It's funny.
If you are still not satisfied that your educational dollars are being well spent these last three days of the semester, then please peruse the following sites, all of which take Monty Python very seriously. Perhaps the guys in Monty Python would find this extremely amusing.
First, Monty Python -- the British comedy troupe -- has become inextricably associated with all that is "British" in the minds of many. Their educated humor and sharp-minded wit have helped to define what we think of as British comedy, certainly. Their biting satire has taken aim at the British government (and our own), and Britain's monarchy, institutions and social customs. In a sense, their humor (like Shakespeare's) is timeless; no period of history is safe from ridicule (or illumination), and no taboo is too taboo.
Second, the movie is a send-up of everything we've studied so far regarding the Middle Ages. They touch on Arthurian Lit and the Grail quest motif (of course), and also feudalism, knighthood, chivalry, courtly love, serfdom, The Church, the plague, printing, humanism, witchcraft hysteria, the Hundred Years War, the French, the Black Knight, and coconuts. Okay, coconuts are not necessarily part of the curriculum. The point is...whatever. It's funny.
If you are still not satisfied that your educational dollars are being well spent these last three days of the semester, then please peruse the following sites, all of which take Monty Python very seriously. Perhaps the guys in Monty Python would find this extremely amusing.
- Monty Python, Shakespeare and English Renaissance Drama by Darl Larsen
- Syllabus for English 350: Monty Python and The Real Grail from Dickinson College
- Medieval Romances: "Perceval" to "Monty Python" from the U.S. Department of Education
- From the Global Electronic Shakespeare Conference
- Reviews from Metacritic
Or, you can just laugh at the following clip: