Early Modern English Literature

Paper; Bunch of Grapes

2012-01-12T18:26:00.002+02:00

Paper will be due the last day of class: whenever that is.

And let's spend a bit more time on Herbert and read his 'Bunch of Grapes' - that is in addition to Milton's Areopagitica for next time.

Areopagitica

2012-01-11T17:02:00.000+02:00

We will be reading Milton's Areopagitica for next Monday. Selections in the Norton; full text for those who are interested available here.

The basics: 1. what is Areopagitica? 2. when was it written 3. to whom it is addressed? 4. for what does it argue?

Beyond the basics: 1. how does Milton relate to difference in the tract 2. what are sects and schisms? 3. how does Milton understand the pursuit of knowledge? 4. what is Milton's conception of commonwealth.

Extra credit: what would someone need to know in order to read Areopagitica? is the text important in the twenty-first century? in Israel?

'Bring Out Your Dead'

2012-01-10T17:00:00.001+02:00

Note on Donne's 'The Canonization' - 'the plaguy bill'

Time to... Panic

2012-01-10T16:51:00.004+02:00

Oh right, not to panic.

Our class writing assignment follows:

Throughout the course of the term, we’ve been discussing the presence of languages of artifice in the poets and playwrights which we’ve been reading (from Hoby to Spenser to Sidney to Jonson). As a means of developing such arguments (as well as sharpening and demonstrating the analytical skills which we have been developing together), I would like you to write a carefully argued essay of approximately five pages on George Herbert's two poems, “Love I” and “Love II.” We’ve already examined Herbert’s attitudes towards poetic invention (a form of artifice) in his two “Jordan” poems; how does Herbert develop his conception of poetic invention in the two “Love” poems? How does Herbert link questions of artifice and invention to the conceptions of love in the poem? In order to develop an argument, you will probably want to discuss the two kinds of love described in the poem, and the way Herbert links them with specific conceptions of artifice. You may also want to account for the transformation anticipated at the end of the companion poems, and the means by which it occurs.

Please do remember to cite evidence from the poem to support your argument, and to quote sensitively so that the quotations make sense within the syntax and logic of your argument. Remember, as well, to make sure that your argument moves--logically--from sentence to sentence, and from paragraph to paragraph. If you can't follow the flow of your argument, it's unlikely that your reader will. When in doubt, consult the “Self-Help Sheet.”

Road Map

2012-01-05T14:37:00.001+02:00

Next week, we will continue our discussion of Donne, with the poems, 'The Good Morrowe,' 'The Sun Rising,' 'The Flea,' 'The Canonization,' and Holy Sonnet 14. Please come to class prepared to discuss these poems in detail.

On Wednesday, we will look at the poetry of George Herbert, 'The Alter,' 'The Collar,' 'Jordan I,' 'Jordan II,' 'Love III,' and 'Prayer.' We will also discuss the writing assignment for the course - which will focus on the metaphysical poets.

The following Monday, we will read Milton's Areopagitica; and the week after, we will be reading selections - stay tuned - of Paradise Lost.

Medieval Astronomer

2012-01-02T22:36:00.002+02:00

Bacon and Coming Attractions

2011-12-22T03:45:00.000+02:00

Here are coming attractions for the next weeks: Bacon and Donne's poetry; Herbert's poetry; Milton's Areopagitica; selections from Milton's Paradise Lost.

On January 2, we will begin the next segment of our studies - the metaphysical poets. As an introduction to our discussion of these poets, we will be reading the works of Francis Bacon - including some of the selections from his work in the Norton Anthology and other selections (available in an eight page handout on our document site). These texts will not be distributed in class - I expect you to download from the site. Please make sure that you read these selections as well as the Norton, and have a copy of both in class next Monday. From the Norton, please read the selections from the Novum Organum - which will supplement the readings from document on the site. In addition, for Monday, we will be reading "The Letter to Lord Chandos" - also available on our document site.

Starting next Wednesday, we will be discussing the poetry of John Donne. Readings include: Dr. Johnson's "Life of Cowley" (to be found at the end of the Norton Anthology), Thomas Carew's "An Elegy upon the Death of Dr. John Donne" (also in the Norton); T.S. Eliot's "Metaphysical Poetry" (on our document site).

Please read carefully "The Bait" and Marlowe's "Passionate Shepherd to his Love" with Ralegh's "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" for Wednesday. Other poems we will look at - more likely in the following week - include "The Good Morrowe"; "The Sun Rising"; "The Canonization"; "The Flea"; "Valediction: Forbidding Mourning"; "A Nocturnal on Saint Lucy's Day"; Holy Sonnets 10 and 14.

As You Like It

2011-12-16T10:30:00.001+02:00

On Monday, we will conclude our discussions of As You Like It.

Why is the 'truest poetry the most feigning' Why is it that putting on a mask, as Wilde writes, is the beginning of telling the truth?

Spenser (cont'd)

2011-11-23T20:00:00.000+02:00

We will continue our discussion of Spenser for Wednesday - again, trying to think about the way in which Spenser comes to qualify Sidney's optimistic connection between the aesthetic and the ethical. How does the separation between Holinesse - Red Cross - and True Church - Una - reflect on this issue?

Please look in addition to the assignment in the previous post at the description of Arthur's shield in Book I, canto 7, stanzas 35 and 36. How does the shield function in the epic as a whole? How is this shield suitable to the hero of the Protestant epic Spenser writes? We will also focus on the description of the House of Pride in canto 4 (1-16), Red Crosse's encounter with Despair in Canto 9, and the House of Holiness (not to be confused with the Led Zeppelin album) in Canto 10. Time permitting, we will look at the Bower of Bliss episode in Book 2 of the epic.

For Wednesday, we will plan to look at two 'country house poems,' Ben Jonson's 'To Penshurst,' and Aemelia Lanyer, 'The Description of Cooke-ham.' The texts are also available in the Norton.

This is Not Mimesis

2011-11-16T15:00:00.000+02:00

Readings of Fairie Queen (see assignment below): We will start the introductory letter to Raleigh and Book I, and Redcrosse knight's encounters. Who is Redcrosse? What challenges does he face? Who is Una? What does she represent? Who is Archimago? Why is he so dangerous?

Does Spenser - like Sidney - think about the relationship between pleasure and ethics? Does he show a consciousness of the arguments of Sidney's Defense? Does the Fairie Queen in any way represent a revision or qualification of the arguments expressed by Sidney? Further, what is allegory? Why does Spenser choose the allegorical mode for his poem? How does it fit into his conception of his work as a romance? Are there any other genres with which the FQ can be affiliated? What are they? And how does genre help to convey the various messages of the text?

Why does Spenser write in the way that he does? We've already seen poets like Wyatt and Surrey making English English - why does Spenser seem to revert to older forms? True, the first eight lines of the Spenserian stanza are written in iambic pentameter, but Spenser's diction is archaic - why does he choose to employ such language; how does it fit into the conception that informs the Fairie Queen?

From Book I:

proem and canto 1: especially stanzas 1-12, 36-46

canto 2: stanzas 5, 9-13

canto 4: stanzas 1-16 (House of Pride)

canto 7: stanzas 35-36

canto 9: stanzas 36-54 (Despair)

canto 10: stanzas 1-20 (House of Holiness)

From Book II

canto 12: stanzas 42-61, 78-81

Wyatt: Love and Self

2011-11-10T12:23:00.000+02:00

In what ways does Wyatt show himself to be a humanist? How is he involved - and in what different ways - in the project of translatio or translation? Why do some say that Tottel's Miscellany in which Wyatt's poems first appeared is one of the most important works of English literature?

What conception of the self does Wyatt represent in his poems? What conception of love?

To answer these questions, perhaps think about some others: what metaphors does Wyatt employ in his poems? are they adequate to the subject-matter he is trying to describe?

Pay for Prayer

2011-11-10T08:47:00.002+02:00

What would Luther have thought of this?

Scribes, executioners and poets

2011-11-08T07:26:00.001+02:00

Here's a picture from a scribe shop or 'scriptorium' - more about early modern printing here.

Any more sources on early modern execution? No gory images please! (or not too gory).

Wyatt's poems are available in your Norton, or on this site (luminarium.org has other great sources for our class). Make sure you read - carefully! - and bring copies of the texts to class.

Who is your favorite British Monarch?

2011-11-03T10:16:00.000+02:00

http://www.britroyals.com/rulers.htm

Lady Di does not count...

Renaissance Introduction (cont'd): Hoby, Foxe, Ascham

2011-11-03T10:06:00.000+02:00

We will be discussing next time ways in which changes in theology, economy and education came to undermine what we described last time as the Elizabethan World Picture. For those interested in a timeline for the early part of our period, here is a useful link. Any other links appreciated!

As discussed, for next class, we will be looking at selections form Castiglione (Hoby), The Book of the Courtier; John Foxe, The Book of Martyrs (Acts and Monuments); and Roger Ascham, The Schoolmaster. All can be found in the Norton Anthology: use the table of contents to find the relevant pages, or you can use the handouts made available in class. For Castiglione, focus carefully on the section from Book I on 'grace'; for Foxe the section on Lady Jane Grey, for Ascham the section on 'Teaching' Latin. The relevant passages can also be found on our documents site. Please make sure you bring the texts to class.

Why would Hoby's instructions to the ideal courtier be important for the emerging Renaissance sensibility? Why was Foxe's description of Protestant martyrs so popular? And how does Ascham's translation exercise fit within the growing emphasis on classical culture?

Please also - if you get the chance - take a look at the Bible translations available in the Norton. Why are these important?

We will be thinking for next time how these texts fit into the story of early modernity which we have been telling.

If time allows, we will begin on Wednesday with a discussion of the poetry of Sir Thomas Wyatt. We will focus on "Whoso List to Hunt"; "They Flee From Me"; "Blame not My Lute"; and "The Long Love." Please read these poems with care!

Welcome

2011-10-31T17:00:00.000+02:00

Welcome to the website for 206, Literature of the English Renaissance. Please check the site regularly for important updates and information about our studies. The syllabus and other handouts can be found here.