E302 2065 KATHY SMITH
Literatures in English, 1600-1800

11:15a-12:05 MWF (30) 3 CR.

This course strives to introduce students to important authors, influential texts, and historical and cultural contexts of English and American literatures from the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries. To that end, we will identify and practice strategies for reading and writing about literature that represents a variety of genres, conventions, and techniques as we strive to acquire a greater understanding and appreciation of works by Sidney, Donne, Herbert, Jonson, Milton, Dryden, Swift, Pope, and Johnson on the one side of the Atlantic, and Bradstreet, Wigglesworth, Taylor, and Franklin, among others, on the other side. Receiving special attention in this section of the course will be issues related to the various conceptions of the function of poetry and the role of the poet that emerge and develop throughout our period.

Because much of the work of this course will be carried on through class discussion and other class activities, regular attendance and participation will be required. Also required will be a number of “first pass” exercises, three formal essays, and a final exam.

Required text: The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Vol. 1, 6th ed.