Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1998. Vol. 2. Eger Journal of English Studies.(Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 26)

Studies - Endre Abkarovits: Teaching the Englishness of English Gothic cathedral architecture

recognize the need of some wider understanding of English culture. A comprehensive course of 'English Cultural Studies' or a 'History of English Arts', even at an introductory level, is, however, still missing in perhaps all institutions of Hungarian higher education. The other problem is that even in the field of literature not the real value of the literary works or the usefulness of their language was decisive, but literary periods were often given the same amount of time (eg one term = one century), independent of the fact whether the literature of the age concerned produced great achievements or not. Very often second- and third-rate poets and writers were discussed, while students were given no information on other, sometimes by international standards far more important fields of English culture. (Though there have always been exceptions, at least in the field of literature, like discussing one of Shakespeare's great dramas for a whole term.) With the advent of optional courses and with the changes in our living conditions, travelling and communication opportunities, a lot of factors of language learning and teachers' training have improved, especially since the beginning of the nineties. Both teachers and students have greater freedom in offering and attending new courses, respectively, and there is at least some potential chance to integrate other aspects of English culture into the education of students. To avoid the errors of literature teaching, this time it would be, however, important to recognize which aspects of English culture, which periods, which branches of art are those that are important not only from the point of view of the development of English arts or culture, but also by European standards. Unless we have a lot of time to enlarge on every period and aspect of English culture, which will perhaps never be the case, we have to concentrate on those outstanding achievements of English arts that are also highlights of European arts. Such an example is English Gothic art and its best surviving form, English cathedral architecture. In the first part of the main body of this paper I will explain why I have found that this area should be an important part of our training in the field of cultural studies. In the remaining chapters I will try to summarize what features make the Gothic architecture of England different from that of other countries; what made England the leading power of Europe in the field of cathedral architecture in a given period (particularly the 14th century), why cathedral architecture is so important among the various fields of arts and as a result an indispensable part of our knowledge about the country whose language and culture we learn and teach. Finally I will also sum up what conclusions I have drawn from a decade's experience in teaching English arts. 45