Much suspected by me, Nothing proved can be,       Quoth Elizabeth prisoner. --Queen Elizabeth, Written with a Diamond on Her Window at Woodstock

Schedule of Readings and Events
(Subject to change--I will give warning, however.)
 
 
 

Dates	Readings	Events
Aug. 25	Introduction
Aug. 27	Catherine Bates, "Literature and the Court" (343-55)  George Gascoigne, "A Sonet in prayse of the browne beauty"; Ralegh, "On the Life of Man (in LABL, 1194); Puttenham, from Arte of English Poesie (3.1)
Sept. 1	No Class	Labor Day
	HENRICIAN BEGINNINGS: THREE SIXTEENTH-CENTURY MODES: WARRIORS, COURTIERS AND HUMANISTS
Sept. 3	from Malory, Morte D'Arthur, book 20 and book 21 You may also find the work's glossary useful
Sept. 8	John Skelton, "Bowge of Court," Skelton's poetry in LABL (663-668)
Sept. 10	More, Utopia, prefatory letter and book 1 (LABL, 688-713)
Sept. 15	More, Utopia, book 2, pp. 713-741 in LABL
Sept. 17	More, Utopia, book 2, pp. 741-755 in LABL
Sept. 22	William Roper, from Life of More Wyatt, "Mine Own John Poins" (LABL, 676-79) Theories of Authority and Resistance (all in LABL): Tyndale (757-758); Elyot (760-61);  Ponet (762-64); Fox (765-767); Hooker (767-69) Man for  All Seasons (video in class)
Sept. 24	Wyatt (and Petrarch) in LABL, 670-76; Surrey (and Petrarch) in LABL, 679-86	Paper 1 assigned
	SONNETMANIA!
Sept. 29	Bates, "Literature and the Court" (course photocopy; read pp. 363-365); Castiglione (LABL, 772), Ascham (LABL, 773-75); Sidney's Astrophel and Stella (LABL, 1043-1050) andsupplementary sonnets (OL) from Sidney
Oct. 1	Spenser, Amoretti (LABL, 954-57)	Paper 1 exchange
Oct. 6	Shakespeare's Sonnets (selections from 1-126 in LABL, 1225-1235); Barnfield's Sonnets 9, 11, 19 (LABL 1121-1122); Davies sonnet 1 (OL) and sonnet 6 (OL), and Barnes's sonnets (OL).
Oct. 8	Shakespeare Sonnets (selections from 127-154 in LABL, 1235-1237 and 127, 131, 135, 137, 140, 147, 148, 151 in Shakespeare supplementary sonnets); Swetnan (LABL, 1502-1505); Sowerman (LABL, 1511-1514)	Paper 1 due Sonnet Project  assigned
	ELIZABETHAN POLITICS AND PROTESTANT POETICS
Oct. 14	No Class: Credit for visit to Folger Shakespeare Library Exhibit Please read, however, Bates "Literature and the Court," pp. 359-63; 369-73 (course photocopy), for an introduction to this section of the course.
Oct. 15	Ralegh poems in LABL, 1192-1200; Elizabeth I's poetry ("Written on a Wall," "The Doubt of Future Foes" and "On Monsieur's Departure" in LABL, 1081-1082) and speeches ("On Marriage," "On Mary's Execution," "To the English Troops," "The Golden Speech" in LABL, 1084-1085 and 1088-1093) Elizabeth (video in class)
Oct. 20	Gosson from "School of Abuse" (LABL, 1002-1003), Sidney, from "Defense of Poetry" (LABL, 971-974 only) Spenser, Faerie Queene, "A Letter of the Authors" (LABL, 790-793) and Faerie Queene, proem to book 1 and book 1, canto 1 (LABL, 793-807)
Oct. 22	Faerie Queene, 1.2-3 (LABL, 807-827)
Oct. 27	Faerie Queene,1.4 and 1.7 (LABL, 827-838; 861-873); Vives (LABL, 758-759); Knox, First Blast (OL) Click here for synopsis of what you missed in cantos 5 and 6.
Oct. 29	Faerie Queene, 1.8-9 (LABL, 873-885); Becon, "Displaying of the Popish Mass" (course packet photocopy)
Nov. 3	Faerie Queene, 1.9-10 (LABL, 885-912)	Sonnet Project  due
Nov. 5	Faerie Queene, 1.11-12 (LABL, 912-934); also reread Fox, Book of Martyrs (LABL, 765-67)	Paper 2 assigned (3 pp)
	TRAVELS FARTHER AFIELD
Nov. 10	Marlowe, Hero and Leander, lines 1-484 (LABL, 1125-1135)
Nov. 12	Marlowe, Hero and Leander, lines 485-818 (LABL, 1135-1142)	Paper 2 exchanged
Nov. 17	Nashe, Unfortunate Traveler (EP, 207-268)
Nov. 19	Nashe, Unfortunate Traveler (EP, 268-309)	Paper 2 due Paper 3 assigned (5pp)
Nov. 24	Deloney, Jack of Newberry (EP, pages TBA)
Nov. 26	No Class	Thanksgiving Break
Dec. 1	Reports from the Americas (all in LABL): Ralegh (1201-1206; stop at "The Orinoco"; 1209-1211); Barlow (1212-1217); Hariot (1217-1220)	Paper 3 exchange
Dec. 3	Wrap-up
Dec. 8	No class	Paper 3 due

 

Course Policies: Readings:  The readings for each class are due on the date listed above. Approach each assignment actively by always reading with a pen or pencil in hand. Note words, phrases or sentences that interest you, that seem significant in the context of the work, or that you have questions about. Jot down in the margins any questions or ideas you have about a particular point or the work as a whole. This practice will help you come prepared to discuss the readings in class and get the most out of class discussion; it will also help you become a more skillful reader of literary texts in general.  On-line course readings: A number of readings for this course are available on-line.  Go to the on-line version of this syllabus for the relevant links.  PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS MATERIAL ON LINE, HOWEVER.  Print the readings and read and annotate those.  I also request that you keep a separate folder or (even better) three-ring bind for this material, so that it does not get lost among other papers, syllabus, reading responses, etc.  Bring on-line material to class just as you would other reading assignments. A tip on printing this material out.  The text lines on some sites expand to your window width, which may be uncomfortably wide for reading.  Shrink your window to an appropriate width before you print.   Participation  and Attendance:  The class will generally be conducted as a seminar. As much as possible we will open up the class to discussion, to questions or observations about the ideas presented in a text, about a text's form or style, its uses of language, its puzzling qualities--whatever grabs our attention. I am interested in your ideas. Contribution to class discussion will not be formally calculated into grades, but I will take participation into account for grades that are borderline. If you aren't in class, you can't participate in discussion, nor will active class participation wholly excuse excessive absences.    Reading Responses:  The discussion questions are meant to help you read carefully, to prepare for class discussion and to aid you in finding starting points for your essays. A discussion question should either ask a question about or observe some aspect of the day's reading that is not answerable by a fact. For example, a question about what happens in the Faerie Queene's narrative would not be appropriate while an observation about the use of a certain image or the reasons behind a puzzling sequence of events in the narrative would be. You may also wish to speculate about how your question or observation would matter for other moments in the text, or why it seems an important matter to consider. A discussion question of a half page to a page will be required for each day's reading, and collected at the end of class (the questions need not be typed). I will frequently begin class by asking some of you to read out your questions. I will read all your questions and grade them on a credit/no credit basis. They will get credit if they are turned in at the end of class and meet the criteria above. Grading will be based on the number of no credits: 0-3=A; 4-5=B; 6-7=C; 8-9=D; 10 or more=F. I will also use discussion questions to keep track of who was in class for a particular day, so if you were in class but did not do a question (say it's not so!) let me know you were there.    Presentation:  The authors we'll read in this class led fascinating lives.  Students groups of about three or four will give a brief presentation on these lives (about five minutes).  Please given the most important information--don't get lost in detail--about an author's biography and especially try to focus on one aspect of the biography that raises interesting questions for the author's writing, or that puts that writing in a new perspective.  Presentations will be evaluated on how well they touch on the most important points or themes in the biography and on how well they are able to focus the biography and use it to raise points about the author's text.  The group will receive a single grade and is expected to work together.  I will provide you with some resources for these presentations.   Paper  Deadlines:  Each paper will be due twice: the first time in class at the paper workshop scheduled one week after each paper is assigned, and the second time one week following that. During the workshop you'll have a chance to trade papers with fellow students and raise questions or give each other suggestions for revision. You'll have the second week to revise your paper, based on this input and on your own rethinking and rewriting. The second week after the paper is assigned both the revised and original version of the paper will be handed in to me. I hope that this system will build revision, so necessary to good writing, into the structure of the course.  Late papers: You need to have your first paper done on time so that you can work on it in the paper workshop. I also expect that the final versions will be handed in on time. Late final versions will be graded down a half grade for each day late. On late first versions, see below under "paper standards."    Paper  Standards (final and first versions):  Each paper should be typed with standard margins, spacing and type size. It should be carefully proofread and neatly presented. The paper topics will relate to issues we have discussed in class, and you are encouraged to bring to bear class discussion in your writing. You are also encouraged to expand on these discussions and credit will be given for new ideas. You may set your own topic, but you should talk it over with me first.  I'll grade the paper on basis of the revised version only, but I will expect the original version to be your best initial attempt at the topic. Original versions not done, not typed or obviously incomplete will result in a half letter grade reduction in the evaluation of the final paper. It would not be fair for other students to have to read work that is not your best; additionally, it is in your interest to write as good an original version as possible, so that your second version is even better. Remember that because everyone has two tries at the paper, I will accordingly have higher expectations for the final version.    Paper Helps:  During the scheduled workshops, you'll have a chance to give and get advice on your papers. Additionally, I encourage you to come see me at my office hours or to make an appointment to see me. When we meet, try to have a draft of the paper you are working on. This will give us something more concrete to talk about. There is also available a Writing Center at Robinson A116 that can provide you with further individual attention to your writing. I encourage you to take advantage of this excellent facility.  I would also suggest that you give yourself plenty of time to work. Writing a paper at one sitting is, for most people, unpleasant, and the results are not likely to be satisfactory. Start early!    Plagiarism:  Since this class emphasizes the development of your own close reading and interpretive skills, you are not encouraged to consult secondary sources. If you do choose to look at such work, however, you must cite, using a standard citation format, all the articles, books or other sources that your own writing draws on, either directly or indirectly. Such sources include (but are not limited to) introductions to editions of the texts we're reading and any kind study aid.  Also note that uncited sources will constitute plagiarism even if they ended up in your work without your conscious knowledge (e.g. you forgot you read the material; you confused your own notes with notes on a source), since part of the scholarly responsibility that comes with using secondary sources is keeping track of which words or ideas were yours and which came from a source. If you do not wish to take on this responsibility then you should not consult secondary sources.  I will take all suspected cases of plagiarism to the Honor Committee.    Final:  The final will be a take-home essay that will cover material from the entire course.  Grading:  The final grade will be derived as follows:    Presentation 6% Reading responses 12% Paper 1 14% Sonnet Project 12% Paper 2 16% Paper 3 20% Final 20% Please come see me if you have any questions about grading, the syllabus or the class. I look forward to having the chance to meet you. Best wishes for a good semester!    GRADE CRITERIA FOR ESSAYS A Specific, complex and/or striking thesis, thesis developed without digression through the course of the paper, consistently precise, sensitive and/or striking interpretations of the text, crafted prose, no major mechanical problems B Specific thesis, thesis generally developed through the course of the paper, consistently good interpretation of text, competent prose, minor mechanical problems C Has a thesis, but one that needs greater specificity or complexity, thesis developed with some digression or repetition, some good interpretation, some mechanical problems D Very general thesis, thesis development digressive or repetitive, plot summary or thoughts/speculations not based on textual evidence, major mechanical problems F No thesis or thesis development