English 177 - Winter, 2013

Study of an Individual Author

Topic: Shakespeare

Class Information

Instructor: Levin, Richard A.
CRN: 73735
Time: TR 1:40-3:00
Location: 101 Olson

Description

We will read four plays by Shakespeare and also literary criticism and background relevant to these plays. As an “advanced study” course, the class is designed to help you develop an approach to Shakespeare that reflects careful and in-depth reading of the plays and also familiarity with important recent schools of literary interpretation. The course will require three papers, the two shorter ones (each about 5 pages in length) preparing the way for a longer paper (12-15 pages). To prepare you for class discussions and also to help you develop your skills as a writer and critic, there will be a few brief quizzes. The specific textbooks assigned for the class are necessary for the class, for we will make extensive use of the background and the criticism they provide.

Textbooks
King Henry IV, Part 1, ed. Gordon McMullan.(1st, 2nd, or 3rd ed). Norton Critical Edition
All’s Well That Ends Well, ed. Susan Snyder. Oxford World’s Classics
Othello, ed. Edward Pechter. Norton Critical edition.
The Tempest, ed. Gerald Graff and James Phelan. Bedford/St Martin's in the series “Case Study in Critical Controversy” (1st or 2nd edition)

Grading

Warm-up essay, 10%; 2nd essay 20%; 3rd essay, 40& quizzes and short writing assignments, 15%, discussion and other in class work, 15%

Texts

see above