Beowulf to Blake: In this course, students will read a sampling of English texts, selected as significant in their relevance to their time, and their survival today. These works are examples of those that still interest scholars of literature but also engage casual readers. Background on the diversity of writing in this historical period will fill in the gaps between chosen texts, and social and cultural contexts for the works students are assigned should help them understand why these works still speak to contemporary readers. As students engage with these texts, they will also be encouraged to assess their relevance, interest and significance not only to the time of their writing, but to the present moment.
Assigned Texts (Information on Editions to come)
Beowulf
The “Pearl” Poet, Gawain and the Greene Knight
Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (Selected Tales)
William Shakespeare, Hamlet
Daniel Defoe, Moll Flanders
William Blake, Songs of Innocence and Experience
Course Assignments (with Percentages toward Semester Assessment)
Three four-page essays (45%)
In-class Midterm (20%)
Final Exam [In-class Portion and Two brief (2 page each) take-home essays] (25%)
Participation (10%) and Steady Attendance