Office hours M
(Bliss 225,
x3233)
In this course, we
will take a close look at specific literary techniques and (sub-)genres, and at aspects of British culture (including a
variety of ideas about gender, race and ethnicity, religion, class structure
and politics), in a few examples of early British literature. The
course is designed to engage students in the analysis and interpretation
of texts in their diverse historical, aesthetic, cultural, and theoretical
contexts; and to lead to an understanding and appreciation of the development
of literary traditions, cultural values, modes of thought, and uses of
language. More specifically, students will learn to analyze pre-1660 British
literature for meaning and style; to use appropriate strategies and research
tools to explore unfamiliar words and allusions, and relevant cultural
contexts; and to recognize basic characteristics of specific periods and
genres.
Learning Goals
1.
Reach a deeper understanding of why we value early British literature in a
postmodern global society (including recognition of stylistic influences), and
a basic understanding of postmodern criticism of early British literature.
2.
Demonstrate the ability to read Early Modern and Late Medieval English
literature in the original Modern and Middle English, and other early British
literature in translation, making appropriate use of the Oxford English Dictionary and other reference tools.
3.
Understand more about the producers and original consumers of early British
literature:
Thousand-point
scale: Each
assignment gives you the opportunity to earn a certain number of points; and
the total number of points available in the course is 1000. Your course grade
will be calculated as follows:
Above 940 pts =
A
790-819 = C+
910-939 = A-
760-789 = C
880-909 = B+
730-759 = C-
850-879 = B
700-729 = D+
820-849 = B-
670-699 = D
Below 670 = F
Essays: You will write three brief
essays, each three to four double-spaced pages—a maximum
of four pages—not including accompanying poetry; research is not
required, but any source used other than the class texts and the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) must be acknowledged appropriately.
Each essay is due in your SOCS drop-box before class on the date listed on the
syllabus; it is to be double-spaced, and headed with your name, the assignment
name or number, and the essay's title.
Using SOCS will give us both a record of the semester’s work and
my feedback. For the SOCS heading, please use “Essay 1,” “Essay
2,” and so forth.
Each
essay will be evaluated according to the
rubric for out-of-class essays (in SOCS). Three notes that
don’t fit on the rubric: 1) Accurate (A-level) citation of poetry
includes spacing and the virgule—see
the tips on quoting poetry, in SOCS.
2) The category “control of
language and conventions” will be graded according to the principle
of minimal marking. In other words,
I will read the entire paper for the first five categories on the rubric, but
for the last category I’ll select a section (between a paragraph and a
page in length) on which to use the virtual red pen. 3) Writing in the first person is always
acceptable in this class, and expected on Essays 1 and 3. (This falls somewhere between
“audience” and “voice.”)
Because
of the number of students in the class, revision for a change of grade is not
an option, and those who wish assistance (other than clarification of the
assignment) prior to submitting the essay are encouraged to obtain it from Academic Enhancement, which
offers in-person and online consultation.
Essay 1 (100 total points
possible):
The goal is to better understand Old English/Anglo-Saxon poetry by writing a
brief poem according to some of its conventions (it’s your decision how
many and which conventions). The
poem itself will not be judged for its quality, but completing it and putting
some effort into revising it will earn you some points. Thus, a week before the paper is due,
you will show me a draft of the poem, and when you turn in the paper, you will
include the same rough draft and the most-revised draft of the poem. You may revise as many times as you
like, but don’t be embarrassed to give me the earliest, roughest draft,
since I’ll be looking for significant revision. Note: the essay is due in SOCS before
class, but if you don’t compose at the keyboard, it’s
fine to bring to class and hand me the paper copy of the poem’s rough
draft—the same copy I’ve checked off the week before.
The
essay depends on the poem you have written: Using specific examples from your poem and at least one poem from the
syllabus, describe what you have learned about Old English poetry and its
translation into modern English.
Consider the following as suggestions: What conventions of Old
English poetry did you attempt? Did you attempt a theme of the period? How successful were you? What aspect(s) gave you the most
trouble, and why? Did you use any
specific poem as a model, and if so, how does your poem compare with your
model? How possible is it to write
Old English poetry in modern English?
First
draft of poem: 5 points
Revised
draft of poem: 5 points
Essay:
90 points
Essay 2 (100 total points
possible):
This essay is a close reading of a particular short poem or short passage of
poetry, prose, or drama—I will assign the particular poem or passage, a
different one for each student, at random.
Analyze the language, style, and
structure of the poem or passage—for instance, punning or ambiguity in
meaning, alliteration, figures of speech, repetition, rhyme scheme—making
sure to connect this analysis with the meaning(s) and tone of the poem or
passage. If you have been
assigned a passage from a longer text, you may choose to consider how the
passage contributes to the text as a whole, but the close reading of the
passage should remain the focus of your essay. A week before the essay is due, bring to
class a list on paper of the words you have researched, including a summary of
the OED definition(s) you think best
fit the context of your poem or passage.
See the tips on using the OED, in SOCS.
List
of words with definitions: 10 points
Essay:
90 points
Essay 3 (100 total points
possible):
The same as Essay 1, except that you are to write a sonnet, thinking about the
sonnets of the Early Modern period, and write the essay according to the
following prompt: Using specific
examples from your poem and at least one Early Modern sonnet from the syllabus,
describe what you have learned about Early Modern sonnets. Consider the following as suggestions:
What conventions of the Early Modern sonnet did you attempt? Did you attempt a
theme of the period? How successful
were you? What aspect(s) gave you
the most trouble, and why? Did you
use any specific poem as a model, and if so, how does your poem compare with
your model? How possible is it to
write a sonnet today? How does what
you learned about sonnets compare with what you learned from Essay 1 about Old
English poetry?
Cultural
Snapshot Group Presentation (125 total points possible): You will select
a topic from the list in SOCS, be assigned a partner and a date for your
presentation, research the topic, determine how best to narrow the topic for
the audience and the time allowed, and in five to seven minutes of class time,
provide the class with a “snapshot” of this particular aspect of
life in Britain before 1660.
“Engagement” means that you are expected to bring this
aspect of British culture to life for the class, so be creative! For example, it’s one thing to
show a drawing of a medieval library and say that books were precious, and
quite another to do what one college did: an art professor created a single
copy of the textbook for a class on medieval life; the book was chained to a
table, and all the students shared it, sometimes reading aloud to one another,
sometimes jotting comments in the margins as they read.
Presentation:
100 points. Each presentation will
be evaluated for the following:
Works
Cited (bibliography): 25 points.
Due on paper before you begin the presentation—but it’s not
necessary to specify in your presentation which information came from which
source, unless you think those details might be of interest to your
audience. Using the latest MLA or
APA format (but don’t mix them!), list at least two reliable sources
(e.g., books, journal articles, scholarly articles stored in an electronic
database like Lexus-Nexus, reputable websites such as the Luminarium,
below). If you have trouble
assessing a source’s reliability, please see me.
Adopt-an-Author Group
Assignment (100 total points
possible): Each study group will “adopt” for the semester a
pre-1660 British writer other than Shakespeare, and will provide the class a
one-to-two-page document about that writer. The focus should be on one or two
interesting stories from the writer’s life rather than on dates and
titles of the writer’s works.
For example, most of us would be bored by the birth and death dates of Jonson, his wife, and his children, accompanied by a list
of poems and plays in which Jonson mentions birth,
death, and/or family. On the other
hand, after reading Jonson’s poems “On My
First Daughter” and “On My First Son,” we might be curious to
learn the sad story of how these two children died—and whether Jonson had any surviving children.
Assignments
will be evaluated as in the Cultural Snapshot Presentations, except with the
addition of “control of language and conventions.” (I’ll be
using “minimal marking” again.)
By
the due date (below), the group should post the Adopt-an-Author to the SOCS
discussion board (using “Attach a Document,” or “Attach a
Hyperlink” if you’ve created a webpage), including the Works Cited
and the names of everyone in your group.
Each person in the group will receive the same grade for the
assignment.
Final Exam (300 total points possible): A take-home essay question will ask you
to connect the poem or passage you read closely for Essay 2 with at least one
of the Cultural Snapshots or Adopt-an-Author assignments other than your own. You may refer to your own as well,
and/or to any cultural background in the Longman Anthology or in Beowulf (e.g., introductions,
footnotes). Specify all
sources, e.g., “the Cultural Snapshot by Smith and Jhabvala
on childbirth in the Late Medieval period helped me understand that the second
stanza of my poem contains a birth metaphor.” The second part of the final will be an
in-class, closed-book, closed-notes exam in which you answer one essay question
from a selection of at least two questions about theme or genre, and (as for
Essay 2) perform close readings of two brief poems or passages not on the syllabus. Each close reading should demonstrate
knowledge of relevant technical terms (e.g., couplet, in medias res) as well as an
understanding of meaning. See the rubric for essay exams, in SOCS.
The OED will be available,
as will any classical and biblical reference materials I deem necessary.
Take-home cultural/biographical question: 75 points
In-class thematic or genre question: 75
Close readings (2): 75 points each
Preparation,
Participation, and Other Assignments (175 total
points possible): You will be expected to participate in small-group and
whole-class discussion of the readings, and to serve as a cooperative and
respectful audience during Cultural Snapshots and any other time anyone is
speaking to the entire class.
(You’ll want to take notes on the Cultural Snapshots for the final
exam—see above.) Needless to
say, you will need to be prepared, having carefully read the assignment before
class; your preparation may be tested by unannounced quizzes. Although attendance is not graded at
TCNJ, please note that it is difficult to participate unless you are both
physically and mentally present. So
that mental attendance may more closely match physical attendance, each student
may have up to two “mental health” or other personal days during
the semester, with no explanation or apology needed—but assignments due
those days will be subject to the rules below (see “Late
Work”).
You will also be
expected to post thought-provoking questions and substantive comments (i.e.,
not questions like “What’s the name of Miranda’s
father?” or responses like “I agree with Dwayne’s
comment”) to the SOCS discussion board at least five times during the
semester. Each short assignment
during the semester—which may include but not be limited to quizzes and
SOCS postings as described above, response papers, one-minute writings,
summaries, translations, and dramatic readings—will be worth from five to
ten points each. Other than SOCS
discussion board postings, short assignments are due on paper in class, and
cannot be made up later; therefore, absences and tardiness will adversely
affect your grade in the course (see “Late Work,” below). Some assignments will require you to
meet or to communicate with your study group or a study partner between
classes.
Anyone requiring
special adaptations or accommodations will benefit from contacting Terri Yamiolkowski in the Office of Differing Abilities (x2571 or
yamiolko@tcnj.edu).
In the case of a
medical emergency or a personal emergency, it is advisable to contact Toni
Buchanan (x2825 or buchanan@tcnj.edu) in Records and Registration if you will
be absent a week or more. Ms.
Buchanan will notify all instructors of the absence, although such notification
does not necessarily guarantee that absences will be excused. Documentation of an emergency of any
length should be shown to each instructor.
Unless I receive
documentation of an emergency (see "Emergencies," above), or (if
applicable) a verifiable power outage or SOCS shutdown occurs, the following
will hold: 1) Each late essay and
Adopt-An-Author will be marked down 10 points (for each person involved) for
each day it is late; since these assignments are due in SOCS, weekends and
holidays count. 2) A first-draft
poem for an essay will also be accepted late, but the essay will be
lowered 10 points for each day the poem is late. 3) A Cultural Snapshot will be marked
down 10 points (for each unprepared or absent partner) for each class day it is
late. 4) Other assignments will not
be accepted late.
For instance,
“Anon,” a direct descendent of the most prolific writer before
1660, oversleeps and misses class the day I check off rough drafts of sonnets
(no matter, it’s his/her first personal day), and doesn’t put
his/her draft into SOCS until the next day. He/she also misses a 5-point quiz that
day. When the essay and later draft
are due, Anon is absent again, missing another 5-point quiz, but posts his/her
work on SOCS two days later. I
calculate his/her grade on Essay 3 and enter it into SOCS: his/her essay is so
wonderful I give it the full score of 90 points plus 10 for the two sonnet
drafts, but then I have to subtract 10 points for the rough draft being one day
late and 20 points for the essay being
two days late, for a final grade of 70 points out of 100 on Essay 3. But then Anon shows up in my office to
explain that he/she was attending his/her grandmother’s funeral during
the second absence and show me the obituary listing him/her as a grandchild. So I change the grade to 90 points;
he/she is still penalized for the lateness of the rough draft, since that was
caused by the personal day rather than the funeral. And it’s still a zero on both
5-point quizzes.
Using the words and/or
ideas of others without giving credit violates the Academic Integrity
Policy of our college and the laws of our nation. All suspected violations of the Academic
Integrity Policy will be reported to the Dean of the
Damrosch, David, ed. The Longman
Anthology of British Literature, vol. 1a: The Middle Ages. 2nd ed.
Damrosch, David, ed.
The Longman Anthology of British Literature, vol. 1b: The Early Modern
Period. 2nd ed.
Heaney, Seamus,
trans. Beowulf.
You are responsible
for all introductions relevant to the readings below. This schedule may be
revised during the semester; you are also responsible for knowing where we are
on the list of readings, even if you have been absent.
Introductions:
WEEK ONE (9/2):
[read in class] Five Old English Riddles (Damrosch
157-58); Caedmon's hymn [handout], and the story of
its creation, from Bede’s Ecclesiastical
History of the English People (Damrosch 136-37).
Heroes, Makars, and Mourners:
WEEK TWO (Tuesday
9/7): [read before class] Beowulf, trans. Seamus Heaney (through line
1905). Also see “Homework
Weeks 1-4” in SOCS, since the first homework assignment is due today.
(R 9/9) Beowulf (line 1906
through end) and Heaney’s introduction.
WEEK
THREE (9/13): "Judith" (Damrosch 125-30);
"The Dream of the Rood" (125-30); and “The Pillow Talk”
from The Tain Bo Cuailnge (92-100).
See art featuring Judith, from the Early Modern period:
http://courses.washington.edu/danz/wi03/schedule.htm
(9/16) Taliesin,
"Urien Yrechwydd,"
"The War-Band's Return," and "Lament for Owain
Son of Urien" (146-50); William Dunbar,
"Lament for the Makars" and "Done is a
Battell" (588-91).
WEEK FOUR (9/20):
Early Irish Verse: “To Crinog,” “Panur the Cat,” “Writing in the Wood,”
“The Old Woman of Beare,” “A Grave
Marked with Ogam” (111-119). No class today (see
“Homework Weeks 1-4”).
(9/23) Check-off date for first draft of Anglo-Saxon-style poem
for Essay 1. Mary Herbert,
Countess of Pembroke, "To Thee Pure Sprite" (1070-72); Ben Jonson, "On My First Daughter," "On My First
Son," and "To the Memory of My Beloved . . . Mr. Shakespeare"
(1628-35); Henry Vaughan, "They Are All Gone into the World of
Light!" (1722-23); John Milton, "Methought
I Saw My Late Espoused Saint" (1826).
Political
Conflict I: The Rising of 1381:
WEEK FIVE (9/27):
Geoffrey Chaucer, from The
(9/30) Due: Essay 1: Anglo-Saxon poetry. William Langland,
from Piers Plowman: Prologue and Passus 2
(421-34); from The Anonimalle Chronicle; three
poems on the Rising of 1381 (John Ball's letters and "The Course of
Revolt"); and John Gower (from The Voice of One Crying)
(454-66).
Garden and Field:
WEEK SIX (10/4):
Middle English Lyrics: "The Cuckoo Song," "Spring,"
and "Contempt of the World" (549-65); Dafydd
ap Gwilym, "The
Winter" (585-86); Edmund Spenser, "October," from The Shepheardes Calendar (784-89); Lady Mary Wroth, from The
Countess of
(10/7) John Milton, Lycidas
(1819-24). Cultural
Snapshot on musical instruments: Darren and Chris.
WEEK SEVEN (10/11):
Richard Lovelace, "Love Made in the First Age: To Chloris"
(1714-16); Andrew Marvell, "The Mower Against Gardens," "The
Mower's Song," and "The Garden" (1732-35); Henry Vaughan,
"Regeneration" (1717-19).
Cultural Snapshot on horticulture,
agriculture, or husbandry: Patrick and Vin.
Love:
(10/14) Marie de France, from Lais: Prologue and "Lanval"
(176-92). Cultural Snapshot on love/courtship: Jon,
Jen L, and Lizzie. Cultural Snapshot on sex: Mark and Sonia.
WEEK EIGHT (10/18):
Julian of Norwich, from A Book of Showings: chapters 2-5, 24, 26, and 60
(467-80). Middle English Lyrics: "I Sing of a Maiden," and
"Jesus, My Sweet Lover" (559-63); Dafydd ap Gwilym,
"Aubade" and "Tale of a Wayside
Inn" (579-84); Robert Henryson, "Robene and Makyne"
(593-97). Due:
OED assignment for Essay 2.
Cultural Snapshot on anchoresses: Jennifer S and Jennifer B.
(10/21) Sir Thomas
Wyatt the Elder, "The Long Love, That in My Thought Doth Harbor"
(with Petrarch's Sonnet 140) and "Whoso List to
Hunt" (with Petrarch's Sonnet 190); Henry
Howard, Earl of
WEEK NINE (10/25):
fall break.
(10/28) Edmund
Spenser, from Amoretti: sonnets 68 and 75 (956-57); Richard Barnfield, from Cynthia: sonnet 11 (1121); Sir
Philip Sidney: from Astrophil and Stella: sonnet 1 (1043); Lady Mary
Wroth, from A Crown of Sonnets Dedicated to Love: sonnet 77 (1673);
William Shakespeare, from Sonnets: sonnets 1, 130, and 144
(1222-37). [Also read the outline
in SOCS of Sir Philip Sidney, “The Apology for Poetry.”] Cultural
Snapshot on childbirth: Jim and Neeha.
WEEK TEN (11/1):
John Donne, "The Sun Rising," "The Flea," "A
Valediction: Forbidding Mourning," and Holy Sonnets 1-2, 10
(1650-58 and 1662-66); George Herbert, "Redemption,"
"Denial," and "The Collar" (1685-96). Due: Essay 2: Close reading of a poem or passage. Cultural
Snapshot on bed(room)s: Lee and Jenn
C.
Views of Gender:
(11/4) King James Bible: Genesis 2-3 (1755-58);
Aemilia Lanyer, from Salve
Deus Rex Judaeorum: "Pilate's Wife
Apologizes for Eve" (1101-3); Tracts on Women and Gender: Desiderius Erasmus (from In Laude and Praise of
Matrimony) and Barnabe Riche (from My Lady's
Looking Glass) (1496-1500); Elizabeth I, "On Monsieur's
Departure" and "To the English Troops at Tilbury,
Facing the Spanish Armada" (1081-91); Edmund Spenser, from The Faerie Queene: proem (793-94); Sir Walter Raleigh, "To
the Queen" (1193-94); Ben Jonson, "Queen
and Huntress" (1633). Cultural Snapshot on marriage: Jennifer M and Kelly.
WEEK ELEVEN (11/8):
Edmund Spenser, from The Faerie Queene:
“A Letter of the Authors”; Book I, Canto 1, stanzas 1-38 (Damrosch 790-817); and Book II, Canto 12, stanzas 53-80
(946-52). Check-off
date for draft of sonnet for Essay 3.
Cultural Snapshot on medieval science: Tim and Kristin.
Exploration and
Colonization:
(11/11)
Shakespeare, William, Twelfth Night
(1237-92), Acts I-III.
WEEK TWELVE
(11/15): Twelfth Night, Acts
IV-V. Due:
Essay 3: The Sonnet. Cultural Snapshot on
crafts and guilds: Mary, Lauren, and Taneeya.
(11/18) Shakespeare,
The Tempest (1292-1353), Acts I-III. Cultural
Snapshot on childrearing: Maya and Seth.
WEEK THIRTEEN
(11/22): The Tempest (last two acts) and companion readings (William Strachey, from A True Repertory and Michel de Montaigne, from Of Cannibals) (1292-1353). Bermuda history and map. Due:
Adopt-An-Author.
(11/25)
Thanksgiving
WEEK FOURTEEN
(11/29): Andrew Marvell, "Bermudas" (1726-27); Michael Drayton,
"To the Virginian Voyage" (1355-57); John Donne, from "A Sermon
Preached to the Honorable Company of the Virginia Plantation" (1367-71)
and "Elegy 19: To His Mistress Going to Bed" (1661-62)
Political
Conflict II: The Civil Wars
(12/2) John Milton,
"On the New Forcers of Conscience Under the Long
Parliament" and "To the Lord General Cromwell" (1824-25); Andrew
Marvell, "An Horatian Ode Upon Cromwell's Return
from
Hoobastank: John Ponet,
from A Short Treatise of Political Power
and James I, from The True Law of Free Monarchies;
The “Slackers”: John Gauden
(from Eikon Basilike);
Red Tomatoes: John Milton (from Eikonoklastes);
Anonymous: John Lilburne
(from
The Geats: Oliver Cromwell
(from Letters from
Jabberwocky: Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon (from True
Historical Narrative of the Rebellion)
WEEK FIFTEEN
(12/6): John Milton, from Paradise Lost: Book 1, lines 1-375; Book 2,
lines 1-505 (1837-46, 1856-68).
(12/9)
Reading Days:
Monday 12/13,
Tuesday 12/14,
10:00-12:00, Bliss 225: office hours.
Finals
Period:
[Monday
12/20,
· SOCS
· Oxford English
Dictionary (OED): for TCNJ users only
· Other Roscoe
West Library resources for English
· Dr. Steele's
Anglo-Saxon World links
· Dr.
Graham’s Early Britain links (prehistoric
· Feudalism and the Three Estates
· Luminarium (Medieval, Renaissance, and 17th-century
British literature)
· 1611 (King James or
Authorized) Bible
· Mr. William Shakespeare and the
Internet
· The Edmund Spenser Home
Page
· Milton
Reading Room (
http://www.tcnj.edu/~graham/britlit.html,
last updated
[Dr. Graham's home page] [TCNJ English Department]