11:45a-1:00p D (30) 3 cr.
This course surveys 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.