British Literature to the Restoration

Dr. Jean E. Graham

LIT 25102, spring 2004

TF 11:00-12:20, Social Sciences 223

This course is the approved replacement for ENGL228 English Literature to the Restoration.

Course description

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. You will notice that most of the literary selections are from the seventeenth century, which is the period I specialize in. If you are interested in a more in-depth examination of literary and cultural issues of the seventeenth century, next year I will be offering a seminar (LIT 499) in British literature of the 1630s—the decade metaphysical poetry was born.

This 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 some late medieval English literature in the original, 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:

why and how people composed, wrote, read, and listened to what we now call “Literature”;
their aesthetic values (e.g., how they defined “poetry”); and
their cultural values (e.g., how texts meant differently for them than they do for us).

Course grade

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 a maximum of 1400 words or four pages, not including accompanying poetry; research is not required, but if any source is used other than the class texts and the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), it must be acknowledged appropriately. Each essay is due in the SOCS drop-box by 7:00 a.m. 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. To earn as many points as possible (see below), an essay will be well-organized, have a clear thesis, demonstrate depth of understanding of a literary text and/or form, make connections between style and meaning, demonstrate a good understanding of the language of the period, and demonstrate the writer’s control over her or his own language and mechanics (word choice, grammar, punctuation, editing). A passing essay will cite each relevant primary text with considerable accuracy, and demonstrate a comprehension of its content, language, form, and techniques. A well-written essay will contain citations which are brief, highly accurate (including use of spacing or virgule for poetry), and explicitly connected with the essay’s argument; it will also connect formal and stylistic features with deeper analysis. Above all, it will demonstrate that the essay-writer has thought about the literary text rather than merely accepted and regurgitated an expert’s comments. 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 poetry by writing a brief poem according to some of its conventions. The poem itself will not be judged for its quality, but completing it and putting some effort into it will earn you some points. Thus, a week before the paper is due, you will show me a draft of the poem (10 points), and when you turn in the paper, you will include the same rough draft and the most-revised draft of the poem (another 10 points). You may revise as many times as you like, but don’t be embarrassed to give me the earliest, roughest draft, since I will be looking only for effort, one sign of which might be significant revision.

The essay (80 points) depends on the poem you have written: Using specific examples, describe what you have learned, by reading Anglo-Saxon poetry in translation, and by writing an Anglo-Saxon-style poem in modern English, about Anglo-Saxon poetry and its translation into modern English. Consider the following as suggestions: What conventions of Anglo-Saxon 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 Anglo-Saxon poetry in modern English?

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. A week before the essay (80 points) is due, I expect to see a list (20 points) 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.

Essay 3 (100 total points possible): The same as Essay 1, except that you are to write a sonnet (10 points rough and 10 points final draft), thinking about the sonnets of the Early Modern period, and write the essay (80 points) according to the following prompt: Using specific examples, describe what you have learned, through reading Early Modern sonnets and writing a sonnet of your own, 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? Additional suggestion: Compare what you learned about sonnets with what you learned about Anglo-Saxon poetry.

Cultural Snapshot Group Presentation (100 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, and in five to seven minutes of class time, provide the class with a window into this particular aspect of life in Britain before 1660. Presentations will be evaluated for relevance to the course; quality of research; and engagement of the class in the topic, using visual or other support.

Adopt-An-Author Group Assignment (100 total points possible): Your study group will provide the class a single-page “handout” on a pre-1660 British writer other than Shakespeare. The focus should be on one or two interesting stories from the writer’s life, not on dates and titles of the writer’s works. Assignments will be evaluated for relevance to the course; quality of research; and clarity of expression.

Final (Fourth) Essay and Exam (300 total points possible): The final essay (100 points) will connect the poem or passage you read closely for Essay 2 with any one of the Cultural Snapshots other than your own. Follow the guidelines, above, for previous essays. 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 (50 points), and (as for Essay 2) perform a close reading of a brief poem or passage not on the syllabus (150 points). The OED will be available, as will classical and biblical reference books if I deem necessary.

Preparation and Participation (100 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. 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. More than three absences will adversely affect your grade in the course. You will also be expected to post questions and comments to the SOCS discussion board at least five times during the semester.

Other assignments (100 total points possible): Other assignments during the semester—which may include but not be limited to response papers, quizzes, one-minute writings, summaries, and translations—will be worth from five to ten points each. Those assignments that take place during class time cannot be made up later. Some assignments will require you to meet or to communicate with your study group or a study partner between classes.

ADA

Anyone requiring special adaptations or accommodations will benefit from contacting the Office of Differing Abilities (x2571).

Emergencies

In the case of a medical emergency or a personal emergency (such as the death or sudden hospitalization of a loved one), it is advisable to contact Toni Buchanan (x2825 or buchanan@tcnj.edu) in Records and Registration if you will be absent a week or less, or the Office of Student Life (x2201) for a longer absence.

Late Work

Unless I receive documentation of an emergency (see "Emergencies," above), each late assignment will be marked down 10 points for each day it is late. For assignments due in SOCS, weekends and holidays count. For other assignments, only days the college is open count. If you are leaving an assignment in my mailbox, please ask a secretary in the English Department (open 8:30-4:30) to date and initial the assignment.

Academic Integrity

Using the words and/or ideas of others without giving credit, whether or not this misuse was intentional, 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 School of Culture and Society.

Texts

Damrosch, David, ed. The Longman Anthology of British Literature, vol. 1a: The Middle Ages. 2nd ed. New York: Longman, 2003.

Damrosch, David, ed. The Longman Anthology of British Literature, vol. 1b: The Early Modern Period. 2nd ed. New York: Longman, 2003.

Heaney, Seamus, trans. Beowulf. New York: Norton, 2001.

Shakespeare, William. Richard III. Ed. Janis Lull. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1999.

Schedule of Readings

You are responsible for all introductions relevant to the readings below. You are also responsible for knowing where we are on the list of readings, even if you have been absent. This schedule may be revised during the semester. Also see SOCS for homework assignments.

Introductions:

WEEK ONE [reread for Jan 23]: Five Old English Riddles (Damrosch 157-58); and Bede, from An Ecclesiastical History of the English People: Caedmon's Hymn (136-37)

Heroes, Makars, and Mourners:

WEEKS ONE AND TWO [Jan 23, 27] Beowulf, trans. Seamus Heaney

WEEK TWO [Jan 30] “The Pillow Talk” from The Tain Bo Cuailnge (Damrosch 92-100); "Judith" (125-30); and "The Dream of the Rood" (125-30)

WEEK THREE [Feb 3] Due: first draft of Anglo-Saxon-style poem for Essay 1. 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)

[Feb 6] 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 FOUR [Feb 10]: Geoffrey Chaucer, from The Canterbury Tales: The General Prologue (301-20). [Also read the outline in SOCS of Sir Philip Sidney, “The Apology for Poetry.”]

[Feb 13] 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 FIVE [Feb 17] 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 Montgomery's Urania (1758-62). Cultural Snapshots begin.

[Feb 20] John Milton, Lycidas (1819-24). In class, assignments given for Essay 2.

WEEK SIX [Feb 24] 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).

[Feb 27] King James Bible: Genesis 2 (1755-57); John Milton, from Paradise Lost: 4.131-355 [Satan enters Eden] and 4.720-75 [Adam and Eve praise the Creator] (1896-1910). Due: OED assignment for Essay 2.

Love:

WEEK SEVEN [March 2] Marie de France, from Lais: Prologue and "Lanval" (176-92). Due: rough draft of Essay 2, for peer workshop.

[March 5] Julian of Norwich, from A Book of Showings: chapters 2-3, 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: Essay 2: Close reading of a poem or passage.

[March 8-12 SPRING BREAK]

WEEK EIGHT [March 16] 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 Surrey, "Love That Doth Reign" and "Alas, So All Things" (with Petrarch's Sonnet 164) (669-82): Edmund Spenser, from Amoretti: sonnets 68 and 75 (956-57).

[March 19] Dr. Graham at a conference: use SOCS discussion board to discuss sonnets.

WEEK NINE [March 23] Isabella Whitney, "I.W. to Her Unconstant Lover" (1051-54); 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)

[March 26] 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). Cultural Snapshots end.

Views of Gender:

WEEK TEN [March 30] King James Bible: Genesis 3 (1757-58); 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).

[April 2] Due: draft of sonnet for Essay 3. Edmund Spenser, from The Faerie Queene: “A Letter of the Authors” and Cantos 1-2 of Book I (Damrosch 790-817)

Exploration and Colonization:

WEEK ELEVEN [April 6] Shakespeare, William. Richard III.

[April 9] Due: Essay 3: The Sonnet. Shakespeare, William. Richard III.

WEEK TWELVE [April 13 and 16] Shakespeare, The Tempest and companion readings (William Strachey, from A True Reportory and Michel de Montaigne, from Of Cannibals) (1292-1353); Andrew Marvell, "Bermudas" (1726-27).

WEEK THIRTEEN [April 20] Due: Adopt-An-Author. 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

[April 23] 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 Ireland" (1735-38); Katherine Philips, "Upon the Double Murder of King Charles" and "On the Third of September, 1651" (1741-42). In addition, each study group will be assigned one of the following: John Ponet, from A Short Treatise of Political Power; James I, from The True Law of Free Monarchies; The Civil War, or the Wars of Three Kingdoms: John Gauden (from Eikon Basilike); John Milton (from Eikonoklastes, chapter 1 only); "The Petition of Gentlewomen and Tradesmen's Wives"; John Lilburne (from England's New Chains Discovered); Oliver Cromwell (from Letters from Ireland); "John O'Dwyer of the Glenn"; and Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon (from True Historical Narrative of the Rebellion) (1779-1809)

WEEK FOURTEEN [April 27] John Milton, from Paradise Lost: 1.1-669, 4.32-113, 4.358-92 (pages 1837-53, 1894-96, 1901-2)

[Optional] review session for final, April 30, the usual time and place.

May 4, 11:00-1:50: in-class portion of the final exam; the out-of-class portion (Essay 4) is due by 11:00 a.m.