11:15a-12:30p TR (30) 3 cr.
OPEN TO MAJORS ONLY. DECLARED MINORS OBTAIN AUTHORIZATION FROM
BH442.
We will read texts from the eighth century to about 1600 in roughly
chronological order;
however, the course will not attempt to be a survey in the sense that
it tries to “cover”
the important works of this large expanse. Rather, we will read
representative texts within
units that focus on issues of importance. For example, we will begin
with a unit on
medieval monasticism and the Old English texts that that institution
preserved. In addition
to reading these texts, we will ask such questions as: why would monks
preserve a literature
that is secular? How might they have read such texts? How did they
appropriate such texts?
Other units will center on Chaucer and the emergence of a national
literature, the
appropriation of medieval and classical works in the Renaissance as a
way of forging a new
English identity, and stage-playing as a subversive activity.
There will be two exams during the semester and a comprehensive final.
There will be a
mixture of short and long essays and various kinds of exercises. The
required texts are the
Norton Anthology of English Literature, Vol. 1 (7th ed.), and
a packet of
supplementary materials.