2:30P-3:45P TR (30) 3 cr

OPEN TO MAJORS ONLY. DECLARED MINORS OBTAIN AUTHORIZATION FROM
BH402.

This course surveys the representative literature from the Old
English period into the Elizabethan age.  Our readings will
include BEOWULF, SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT, some medieval
drama, and selections from Chaucer and his contemporaries, Wiatt,
Sidney, Spenser, Marlowe and Shakespeare.  Except for the longer
medieval works, the texts will be read in the original form of
the language (which is, however, well glossed in the textbook we
will use).  Special attention will be paid to the social,
intellectual, and historical contexts of the literature, as well
as to the features of the language that differ from our
contemporary English and therefore can cause confusion or
misreadings.  The course will be a combination of lecture and
discussion, both of which will require your regular attendance
and active participation.  You will write three or four papers,
4-6 pages in length, 1-2 intermediate examinations, and a
comprehensive final examination.

Text: THE NORTON ANTHOLOGY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE, Vol. 1.