"I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm."
--Queen Elizabeth, Speech to the Troops at Tillbury, August 1588

Course Description: In 1588 the huge Spanish Armada, cover for a Spanish invasion force, sailed to England. "The Armada Portrait" celebrates the English victory over these Spanish ships, and the consequent failure of the invasion. The painting displays the defeat of the Spanish by fire and wind, but is not realistic: Queen Elizabeth, of course, didn't watch the battle from a skybox seat.

Spenser's romance epic poem The Faerie Queene, first published two years after the Armada, likewise celebrates Elizabeth and England, in a similarly iconic and allegorical, rather than realistic manner. In this class we'll consider how and why Spenser writes in many ways like this portrait is painted. And with some of the same concerns: the beauty and majesty of the queen, the power and right of the English nation, and the relationship--evident in this portrait and in Elizabeth's speech to the troops at Tillbury--of feminity, rule and empire.

We'll also read selections from Spenser's sonnets--some of the most lovely written during the flourishing of this form in the Renaissance--and from his Shepheardes Calender, a poem often said to have kicked off the Golden Age of Elizabethan literature. As an interlude, I've included Ben Jonson's very funny play The Alchemist, written a decade after The Faerie Queene. What and how Spenser celebrates in his poetry, The Alchemist mocks. Finally, we'll read selections from history and criticism to help us find new ways into Spenser's work.

Our goals overall are to gain a better appreciation of Spenser's art (especially of allegory--a form generally strange to contemporary readers), to understand this art's relationship to the thought and politics of the Elizabethan age, and, finally, to consider what it means to link poetry with propaganda and violence.

Course Requirements: response papers, a presentation, one three-page and two five-page essays, an exercise in allegory creation, a visit to the current Folger exhibition, and a final.

Schedule of readings and events (subject to change, with warning)

Aug. 28

Aug. 30

Sept. 6

Sept. 11

Sept. 13

Sept. 18

Sept. 20

Sept. 25

Sept. 27

Oct. 2

Oct. 4

Oct. 9

Oct. 10

Oct. 16

Oct. 18

Oct. 23

Oct. 25

Oct.30

Nov. 1

Nov. 6

Nov. 8

Nov. 13

Nov. 15

Nov. 20

Nov. 22

Nov. 27

Nov. 29

Dec. 4

Dec. 6

Dec. 11

Other important dates:
Last Day to Add (Full-Semester Course): September 12
Last Day to Drop with no tuition penalty (Full-Semester Course): September 12
Last Day to Drop (Full-Semester Course): September 29
Elective Withdrawal Period (Full-Semester Course): September 30 - October 27

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 better close reader of literary texts in general.

Online 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 binder for this material, so that it does not get lost among other papers, the syllabus, reading responses, etc. Bring on-line material to class just as you would other reading assignments.

Participation and Attendance:
While I will occasionally lecture, the class will usually 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. 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 reading responses are meant to help you read carefully, to prepare for class discussion and to aid you in finding starting points for your essays. A reading response 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 responses 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 response would matter for other moments in the text, or why it seems an important matter to consider. A reading response of about a page will be required for each day's reading, and collected at the end of class (the responses need not be typed). I will sometimes begin class by asking some of you to read out your responses. I will read all your responses and grade them on a credit/no credit basis. They will get credit if they are turned in by you 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 reading responses to keep track of who was in class for a particular day, so if you were in class but did not do a response (say it's not so!) let me know you were there.

Presentations: One of the interests of The Faerie Queene is that it refers to many other texts. To help us understand these references and why Spenser makes them, your presentation should pick one such reference in the reading for the day of your presentation. You might especially pick one that you didn't recognize and you think the class might not too, or one that seemed particularly interesting to you. Then 1) give us some background on it (e.g. where does the reference come from? what stories have been told about the figure you chose?); and 2) pose some questions or interpretations about the relationship between the reference you picked and its use in The Faerie Queene (how does Spenser change or adapt the story? why? what is the significance of where the reference comes from?). The reference could be to a mythical, historical or religious figure (e.g. Isis or Osiris in 5.7). It shouldn't address too major a figure (for example, Arthur or Merlin) since there would be too much to cover. The presentations will be scheduled in the first couple of weeks of class. They should be about five minutes long. Depending on the number of students in class, you will likely work in groups for this assignment- if so there will be one grade for all members of the group, who are expected to work as a group: everyone must contribute.

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.

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 A114 that can provide you with further individual attention to your writing. I encourage you to take advantage of this excellent facility.

I 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, material from the internet, 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 take-home and cover material from the entire course.

Grading:
I will weight the grades on individual assignments as follows:

Students with Disabilities:
If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at 703.993.2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through that office.

Best wishes for a great semester.  Please come see me with any questions.  I look forward to getting to know you.

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