E301 9913 LITERATURES IN ENGLISH TO 1600
Shannon Gayk

1:25p-2:15p MWF (30 students) 3 cr., A&H. Open to English majors and declared minors only.

TOPIC: “Literary Visions: Sacred and Profane”

This course provides an introduction to early English literature. Rather than studying English literature before 1600 chronologically, we will progress thematically, with the course divided into three units: romantic visions, supernatural visions, and utopian visions. In each unit we will consider how early literature might represent, challenge, or reimagine the social world. In class discussions we will examine medieval attitudes about romantic love, how humans position themselves in relation to the unknown or supernatural, and ideas about the reformation of social institutions such as the government and the church. Required texts include The Romance of the Rose, Shakespeare’s sonnets, medieval lyrics, Piers Plowman, Thomas More’s Utopia, selections from Chaucer’s poetry, medieval mystical writings, and Old English elegies. Course requirements include daily attendance and participation in discussion, several short writing assignments, two papers, and midterm and final exams.