English 115-A - Fall, 2011

16th & 17th Century Literature

Class Information

Instructor: Levin, Richard A.
Time: TR 10:30-11:50
Location: 106 Olson

Description

English 115: Sixteenth Century Poetry

English Renaissance literature is generally dated from about 1530 to about 1660. The subject matter of our course is sixteenth century poetry. Poetry constitutes much of the great literature of this time span with the exception of the plays of Shakespeare and of his contemporaries in the theater. Our reading begins with the earlier 16th century poetry of Sir Thomas Wyatt and the Earl of Surrey, poetry that, from the time it was written, was felt to initiate a new literary age. We will then turn to the major poets of the latter part of the century, Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, and John Donne (his career continues into the 17th century). We will also read the epyllions (erotic “little epics”) of Christopher Marlowe (“Hero and Leander”) and of Shakespeare (“Venus and Adonis”), as well as several sonnets by Shakespeare. Our goal in the course is to learn to read and write about the works of a rich literary culture. We want to understand both the distinctive achievement of each work we study and also to discover how these works collectively shed light on an important body of literature and a seminal cultural moment.

Grading

The course will require three short critical papers, spaced fairly evenly throughout the term; occasional short reading quizzes; a final examination.

Texts

Edmund Spenser's Poetry (Norton Critical edition), eds. Hugh Maclean and Anne Lake Prescott
Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume B: The Sixteenth Century; the Early Seventeenth Century , general editor Stephen Greenblatt