1:00-2:15P TR (30) 3 cr

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

This course will survey the main outlines of literature in English.
Though the focus will be on British literature, we will also sample other
literatures in English, especially American.  The readings will be divided
into four main segments.  Starting with Postmodern and Postcolonial
writing (that is, contemporary literature), we will move backward in time
to the Modernist era (roughly 1900 to 1945).  Then we will move even
farther back to the Victorian period (1837- 1901) and finally to the
Romantic era (1789-1830s).  This reverse chronology will allow us to
examine some common conceptions and, perhaps, misconceptions about
"literary history."  There will be no midterm and final exam, but instead
four quizzes, based on the four main divisions of the course.  There will
also be four short (3-5 page) interpretive and comparative papers.  Most
readings will come from THE NORTON ANTHOLOGY OF ENGLISH
LITERATURE; there will also be one or two additional texts, either as
course readers or as books to purchase.