Skip to main content
Department of English
Search
Log in
Navigation
About
Current Office Hours
Diversity Resources
English Library
Faculty Statement Archives
Internal Dept Resources
Medieval and Early Modern Studies
University Writing Program
Video Guides & Worksheets
Visit us on Facebook
Major/Minor in English
Advising
Creative Writing Application
Honors Program
Internships
Literary Magazines
Major Requirements Guide & FAQ
Minor Requirements
Study Abroad
Why Major in English?
MFA in Creative Writing
Admissions
Events, Prizes, and Resources
MFA Program Faculty
Newly Admitted Grad Students
Resources
Ph.D. in Literature
About
Admissions
Newly Admitted Grad Students
PhD Alumni Directory
Resources
Courses & Schedules
People
News & Events
Off the Syllabus Podcast
Recent News
Contests
Contest Winners
Previous Contest Winners
Newsletters
You are here
Home
»
Courses & Schedules
English 122 - Winter, 2014
Milton
Class Information
Instructor:
Ferguson, Margaret
Time:
TR 9:00-10:20
Location:
207 Olson
Description
In this course, we will study Milton's most famous poem, _Paradise Lost_, along with samples of his early poetry, including his collaborative venture into drama, the _Maske Performed at Ludlow Castle_ and selections from his prose works on the subjects of marriage, divorce, freedom from press censorship, and the monarchical form of government, which Milton like other participants in the English Revolution of the mid-seventeenth century passionately believed in radically reforming. He supported the execution of King Charles I on the grounds that Charles was a tyrant. We will explore Milton's unconventional representations of sexuality and love; his also unconventional theories about and practices of interpreting the Bible; his attitudes toward his classical and Renaissance precursors (especially Shakespeare), and his representation of the Garden of Eden as a vegetarian utopia that can also look, from other perspectives, like a prison or a colonial territory ripe for conquest (by Satan). Some required readings on SmartSite in addition to the handbook of rhetorical terms listed under "texts" below. If you don't own a King James Version of the bible, the most influential translation in English, you should consider buying the optional text below; it is readily available on the Web and as a phone app.
Grading
Grading: Participation in weekly discussion sections; quizzes and short writing exercises (lowest grade to be dropped); 2 papers; contributions to 4 online forums; a midterm and a final examination.
Texts
The Complete Poetry of John Milton. Ed. by John Shawcross. Revised edition, 1971.
The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments (King James Version)
, (optional)
Milton's Rhetoric, "a pdf on course SmartSite, under "Resources".