General Reading Assignments in The Norton Anthology: 

The Middle Ages, pp. 1-15.
The Sixteenth Century, pp. 395-413.
The Early Seventeenth Century, pp. 1069-1079.
The Restoration and the Eighteenth Century, pp. 1767-1786.
Poetic Forms and Literary Terminology, pp. 2558-2571.
All Headnotes for the individual texts and authors read. (And don't neglect the footnotes!!)

Preliminary Remarks:

ENGL 230 is an overview of a large range of challenging material--the foundation upon which modern literature in English is built. Much of it may be new to you, and many of the texts reflect assumptions and ideas that seem strange to a 20th-century audience. For these reasons, several remarks are in order.
 

1) While nominally an "Introductory" course, ENGL 230 is READING INTENSIVE, and can be frustrating at times. The material covered is complex and challenging, the pace necessarily frenetic. Invariably, one week or another we will be dealing with a topic/author that is hard for you to get a handle on, or that you simply do not enjoy. When this occurs, DO NOT DESPAIR!! We will soon be moving on to something totally different. Also keep in mind that BECAUSE the course is an overview, you are not expected to master ANY of the material as thoroughly as in an upper-division course with a narrower focus. This does NOT mean that you do not need to read carefully. It DOES mean that you should not torture yourself if the details of a given text prove difficult to grasp. We are looking for the broad picture, not the close-up; the idea is to provide you with a sense of the way in which English literature--and English perceptions of what literature is--have evolved.

2) Because literary production was controlled by the Catholic Church throughout the Middle Ages, and because there was no separation of Church and State in the later periods covered in this class, many of the readings deal with Christian themes. We will read and discuss texts as cultural artifacts rather than as articles of faith, attempting to understand the society which produced them and the world view which they represent. While familiarity with the Bible may be useful, no prior knowledge of Judeo-Christian tradition is assumed or required. If you find a reference confusing, consult introductions and footnotes; if you're still stuck, ask about it in class.

3) ENGL 230 is a typical survey: too much to cover, too little time. Readings are selective; more has been left out than included. You will notice that the syllabus emphasizes the earlier part of the tradition: after an initial week on the Old English period, we devote about three weeks each to the Middle English period, the Renaissance, and the 17th/18th centuries. This distribution is the result of a deliberate choice. The medieval and Renaissance works read in this course are the most "foreign" to 20th-century readers, and thus the hardest to grasp without guidance; they are also those to which you are least likely to be exposed outside of ENGL 230. For these reasons, we will concentrate on the roots of the English literary tradition, in order better to grasp the ways in which more recent works differ from--but are also related to--their literary "forebears."

 4) Due to time constrictions, I ask for your commitment: come to class regularly, punctually, and prepared. If you don't, ENGL 230 will be of little use to you--and no fun for any of us! SO: be prepared for an intense quarter. But also remember: I LOVE teaching this stuff! And doesn't that tend to make a course more fun?
 

Course Requirements:

Readings are to be completed BEFORE coming to class on the date assigned. You are expected as a matter of course to read the Norton Anthology introductory note preceding each work, as well as the general introductions to each period and any handouts distributed in class.

A Study Guide will be provided to guide your reading. USE IT!! Guides contain general questions based on background information, followed by questions concerning the primary readings. Be sure to read the assigned background material (from Norton Anthology introductions and handouts) FIRST--it is designed to provide a context within which the primary readings will be more meaningful.

For both backgound and primary readings, familiarize yourself with the study questions BEFORE you begin to read, and refer to guide AS you read, jotting down notes as you go along. Upon completing your readings, reread the questions and write up a summary of your ideas. This summary will NOT be collected or graded, but will be helpful in preparing for quizzes and exams. You may also be asked to share your responses in class.

Be prepared to DISCUSS readings in class. Note that the length and difficulty of assignments vary, so look ahead in the reading list when you are planning your time. You will be responsible for ALL the assigned readings, whether fully discussed in class or not, and for material covered in class discussions and lectures.

Attendance Requirement:

Regular and punctual attendance is required. EACH ABSENCE WILL LOWER PARTICIPATION GRADE, unexcused absences by approximately .3 (A to A-, A- to B+, etc.) and excused absences by .1, starting from a base of 4.0. If you have a valid reason for missing class (illness, family crisis, other unavoidable conflict), TELL ME--any absence about which I am not contacted will be recorded as unexcused. Please note that work conflicts and job interviews are not valid reasons for missing class.

 
Graded Work:

Class will begin with an unannounced READING QUIZ on average once a week. (Some weeks there may be TWO quizzes, but there will not be two quizzes on the same author/text.) Expect factual questions (names, titles, dates, key terms) based on Norton Anthology Introductions; also IDs (key passages, characters, motifs) from assigned readings. Study guides are designed to draw your attention to important points and passages in the readings; get in the habit of USING them and you should be adequately prepared for quizzes. Quizzes may not be made up; if you miss class, you will receive a copy to use as a study guide.

Other WRITTEN WORK will consist of two short papers (2-3 pp.), a Midterm Exam (in class 10/21), and a Final Exam. Topics for paper 1 (due at latest by Monday 10/20) may be chosen from a list of suggestions distributed in class or worked out with me in conference. Paper 2, a sonnet analysis, will be due 11/25. Final Exam will be cumulative, but with greater emphasis on readings since the Midterm.

 
 

FINAL EXAMS:	10:00 Section: Thursday, 12/11/97, 8:10 AM-11:00 AM
	12:00 Section: Monday, 12/8/97, 1:10 AM-4:00 PM

 

Grading:
 

25 %	In-class work: participation (based on attendance), quizzes. (Weighted equally.)
25 %	Papers (weighted equally).
50 %	Exams (cumulative total).

No Extra Credit is available.
 

 

W 10/1 Introduction to Chaucer. Headnote in Norton and Introduction in Penguin translation of the Canterbury Tales (=CT); Chaucer, "Trouthe" and "Gentilesse."

NA 5-9, 76-79; 198-199; CT ;   review translatio handout.

 

Th 10/2 Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales. General Prologue (=GP) to the Canterbury Tales; Introduction (only) to the Parson's Tale. GP: translation (all) and lines 1-42 in Middle English (NA); Parson's Prologue: NA pp. 192-193 ("Close of the Canterbury Tales") and CT "Parson's Prologue". For all readings from the Canterbury Tales, BEGIN by reading the modern translation (in Penguin Canterbury Tales=CT); then read through assigned Middle English text in NA (hints: try reading aloud; tapes available in book store). YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SPECIFIC MIDDLE ENGLISH LINES AS ASSIGNED ON STUDY GUIDE.

CT , ; NA 10-15, 76-82, 192-193.   For all CT readings, review NA 10-15 and pronunciation handout; consult Penguin translation.

 

F 10/3 General Prologue, continued--pilgrim portraits in Middle English (specific lines in NA assigned on study guide)

NA pp. 81-100.

 

WK 3: T 10/7 The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale (read ALL in translation; specific Middle English LINES are assigned on study guide). Handout on "courtly love" (and review handout on translatio).

CT ; NA pp. 117-144; handouts.

 

W 10/8 The Franklin's Tale (read ALL in translation; specific Middle English LINES are assigned on study guide).

CT ; NA pp. 144-164; handout.

 

Th 10/9 Medieval lyrics/Marian devotion.

286-291 & handout.

 

F 10/10 Arthurian Romance/The Alliterative Revival: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (parts 1-2). Review "Courtly love" and translatio handouts.

5-9; 200-225; review handouts.

 

WK 4: T 10/14 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, conclusion (parts 3-4).	225-254.
W 10/15 Women's Voices/Mysticism: The Book of Margery Kempe; Julian of Norwich, A Book of Showings; WBP.	9-10, 292-308; review WB's P.
Th 10/16 Liturgical Drama: Mystery cycles. Begin by reading introduction (only) to The Chester Play of Noah's Flood (but not the play); then read The Second Shepherd's Play	9-10, 308-309, 318-344.

 

F 10/17 Comparison of Mystery and Morality Plays. Continued discussion of 2nd ShP; new reading: Everyman.

9-10, 363-384.

 

 

W 10/22 Backgrounds 1: The politics of the Reformation. Historical overview; Translating the Bible; Sir Thomas More, biographical information and Utopia, section on Religion; Foxe, Acts and Monuments.

395-401; 968-973; 414-415, 425-429; 996-997.

 

Th 10/23 Backgrounds 2: Renaissance Humanism. Historical overview; Ascham, The Schoolmaster; Queen Elizabeth, "On Monsieur's Departure"; More, Utopia; Ralegh, The Discovery and the Empire of Guiana.

396-404;991-994;997-998; 414-431; 1021-1022, 1028-1030.

 

F 10/24 Sir Philip Sidney, The Defence of Poesy (**SKIP "Three Kinds of Poets," "`Parts' or Kinds of Poetry" and "Poetry in England"**); Thomas Nashe, from Pierce Penniless ("An Invective Against Enemies of Poetry")

401-406; 458-459; 479-483, 485-488, 492-494, 499-500; 1005-6, 1007-1010.

 

WK 6: T 10/28 Renaissance Theater. Marlowe, Dr. Faustus. Consult illustration of Elizabethan   theater, 2573.	409-413; 748-749; 768-801.
W 10/29 The Rise of the Sonnet: Wyatt, "Farewell Love," "My Galley"; Surrey, "Alas! So all things now do hold their peace"; Sidney, Astrophil and Stella 1, 9, 15; Spenser, Amoretti 1, 64, 75, 79. If necessary, review TERMINOLOGY used to describe/discuss poems (2558-top of 2566).	TERMS: 2558-2566 (top);   BKGRND: 401-409; 969-970. SONNET WRITERS: 438-439; 450; 458-459; 501-503. (AND ASSIGNED POEMS!)

 

Th 10/30 Sonnets, cont.: Shakespeare, Sonnets 3, 18, 29, 30, 71, 73, 129, 130, 144; Campion,"There is a Garden in Her Face."	TERMINOLOGY: 2558-2566 (top); 801-803; 1042-1043; & ASSIGNED POEMS!
F 10/31 Pastoral poetry: Marlowe, "The Passionate Shepherd to his Love"; Ralegh, "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd"; Campion, "I Care Not for These Ladies"; Mary Herbert, "A Dialogue Between Two Shepherds"; Spenser, introduction (only) to The Shepherdes Calendar. From Spenser's Faerie Queene: NA intro; opening letter to Sir Walter Raleigh, first 4 stanzas. [NOTE: next week's readings are LONG; read ahead over the week-end!!]	TERMINOLOGY: 2558-2566 (top); BKGRND: 406, 969-970; POETS: 748-749; 1021-1022; 1042-1043; 1046; 501-503; 514-520. & ASSIGNED POEMS!

 

WK 7: T 11/4 Spenser, The Faerie Queene, Bk. 1, Cantos 1-2; read through using study guide.

520-541 (& READ AHEAD AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!!)

 

W 11/5 Spenser, FQ, Bk. 1, Cantos 4-5, 7; read through using study guide.

551-573; 583-594.

 

Th 11/6 Spenser, FQ, Bk. 1, Cantos 8-10; read through using study guide.

594-630.

 

F 11/7 Spenser, FQ, Bk. 1, Cantos 11-12; read through using study guide.

630-661.

 

WK 8: T 11/11 VETERAN'S DAY; NO CLASS

Catch up on FQ as needed.

 
 

First Day Questionnaire: English 230 Fall, 1997 Section Time (circle one): 10:00 12:00

Name:__________________________________ Address: ________________________________________________________________ E-mail: _______________

Phone(s):___________________________ Sex:______ Age:________ Majors/minors:_______________________________________ Class year:_______________

Where are you from?_____________________ 1st Language:___________________ Other Languages? (give fluency, yrs. of study) _________________________

1. List any college-level literature courses you have taken, and where.

 
2. Describe briefly your reading tastes, mentioning specific authors and titles if possible.

3. Last book read for pleasure? (Author and title)

4. List any interests you have which are relevant to English literature (e.g. mythology, history, art history, philosophy, Bible, music, theater, biography, etc.)

 
5. Have you previously read any of the authors or works on this syllabus? Which ones, where and when? (Please list.)

 6. What (which works/authors/periods/genres on syllabus) do you most look forward to reading, and why?

 7. What (which works/authors/periods/genres on syllabus) do you least look forward to reading, and why?

  8. Why did you sign up for ENGL 230, and what do you hope to gain from taking the course?

9. On the back, describe any personal circumstances which may affect your performance in or goals for the course and which it would be helpful for me to understand (e.g. medical condition, full-time employment, multiple jobs, small children, single parent, caretaker for sick or elderly person, need to maintain scholarship, learning disability, athletic competition schedule, required field trips, etc.) (All such information will be kept strictly confidential!)