English 6250: #10842

TTR 9:45-12:15

Summer 2007

Wattis Bldg 113

Dr. M. Diane Krantz
dkrantz@weber.edu
344 Social Sciences
Phone 626-6543
Off. Hours: T 8:30; Th; 12:30; or by appointment

 

 

Course Description: Seminar in British Literature (3-3.5 credits): Changes in warrior heroes found in the early British literary period from 700 to 1700 CE reflect three of the greatest impacts on British culture and history: Norman Invasion, Protestant Reformation, and European Renaissance. We will examine four important texts focusing on such heroes (or anti-heroes in the case of Milton) and critical responses to these texts to understand, in terms of similarities and differences, what changed in the British character and what remained the same over a millenium. The readings are not as long as in Master's level courses for later periods, but the language and style changes radically over these centuries, so be prepared for challenges to your reading skills.

 

Texts: (all available at Amazon.com)

Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Seamus Heaney

Portrait (see link below) and The Knight's Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer (available as part of The Knight's Tale (Selected Tales from Chaucer)  by Geoffrey Chaucer and A. C. Spearing

The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Paradise Lost by John Milton (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

 

Course Format: This course will meet three hours weekly or five hours in summer.  Lectures will be supplemented with small and large group discussions on questions related to critical readings on the texts.  Students will take turns presenting to the class the results of research done on social, cultural, political background and/or a critical interpretation for one of the four texts.  Choice of a date will determine which author's work is discussed.

 

Assessment: Students will be evaluated through a 20-30 minute class presentation [20 points], an extended (15-18 pages including end notes and Bibliography) research paper which may build on the presentation topic [50 points], 300-word weekly response paper for the reading due each week including a discussion question [15 points], and class participation in group discussions [15 points].

 

Students with Disabilities: Any student requiring accommodations or services due to a disability must contact Services for Students with disabilities (SSD) in room 181 of the Student Service Center. SSD can also arrange to provide course materials (including this syllabus) in alternative formats if necessary.

Ethics: Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, falsification, accessing unauthorized course or test information, using unauthorized resources, or breaching copyright law. The penalty for such dishonesty will be an E in this course, and it may result in charges issued, hearings held, and/or sanctions imposed.

 

 

Topical Outline:

Week 1: Definition of the epic, an overview of its place in literary history, Anglo-Saxon Culture;  Begin reading Beowulf Some important events in Anglo-Saxon history:Outline or detailed http://members.aol.com/bakken1/angsax/angsaxe.htm

 

Week 2:  Definition of the Hero; Beowulf as an Epic Hero: The Anglo-Saxon Pagan Warrior  http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~beowulf/main.html

Beowulf 1________________________________________________________

Beowulf 2________________________________________________________

 

Week 3: Epic Machinery in the historical romance: The Italian Renaissance in the English Middle Ages;  Chaucer's Portrait of and Knight's Tale as an example of the poetry of the Fall of Troy and historical romance.  See the General Prologue with the portrait at http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/knight.htm

The Knight's Prologue________________________________________________________

 

Week 4: The Faerie Queene Book I:  Reformation and Renaissance: Christian allegory and the return to classical literary models; The Red Cross Knight as Christian warrior

The Faerie Queene Book Ia________________________________________________________

 

The Faerie Queene Book Ib________________________________________________________

 

Week 5: The Faerie Queene Book II:  Spenser's too-enticing Garden of Delights; Short summary; Begin Book III also

The Faerie Queene Book II or III________________________________________________________

 

The Faerie Queene Book III________________________________________________________

 

Week 6: The Faerie Queene Book III: allegory of the Christian life;  Britomart as the type of England and a progenitor of Elizabeth I; Book 3 information; Begin Paradise Lost; Sample reading guide

Paradise Lost 1 a________________________________________________________

 

Paradise Lost 1 b________________________________________________________

 

Week 7:  Pioneer Day Holiday; Paradise Lost: Christian epic:Satan as Milton's great anti-hero; Was Milton of Satan's party?; Reading guide 5-8

 

Paradise Lost 2 ________________________________________________________

 

 

Week 8: Paradise Lost: Michael,  Christ, Adam and Eve. Who is the hero here?

Paradise Lost 3________________________________________________________