ENGL350A Early Seventeenth Century Literature
Prof.
S.
Tolmie
Fall
Term
2019
Class
time:
Mon/Wed
1:00-2:20
PAS
1241
Office Hours Mon/Wed 2:30-3:30 HH 266
stolmie@uwaterloo.ca
Course Description: This course gives students an overview of the dramatic events of the 17th century, up to and including the English Civil Wars. Its focus is on the intertwining of politics and religion, and the primary genre under examination will be poetry, both epic (Milton) and lyrical (primarily the metaphysicals), as the most important genre of the premodern period.
Course Objectives: Students will learn appropriate historical and critical terms and perspectives to describe this complex period and its literary works. They will practice their critical writing, reading and speaking skills, both individually and in groups.
Required
Textbook
The
Norton
Anthology
of
English
Literature,
volume
1B,
The
Sixteenth
Century
and
the
Early
Seventeenth
Century,
10th
edition
Please use the current edition. Especially for group work, it ascertains that everyone is on the same page.
Assignments and mark breakdown
- Two historical content quizzes 20% (10% each)
- Two tests interpreting literary passages: one on lyric poems, one on Milton 20% (10% each) Poetry imitation assignment 15%
- Group presentation on one book of Milton’s Paradise Lost 15%
- Short essay on Milton, 1500 words, MLA format 15%
- Participation 15%
What Does This Mean?
Each historical content quiz will take 30 minutes of class time. One will be on the Reformation and one on the Civil Wars. They will draw on specific readings from the textbook and information contained within the poems on the syllabus. They are NOT open book but questions will be given in advance.
Each test on literary passages will take one hour of class time. Passages will be identified. No more than 3 passages will need to be analyzed on each test.
The poetry imitation assignment will require students to choose a single short poem from the anthology and to write a close imitation of it, and to explain and justify this imitation in a brief accompanying personal essay (2-3 pages). Poems do not need to be in Early Modern English. Contemporary grammatical English is preferred. Further guidelines will be provided for this assignment well in advance. The poem and the essay component will be equally weighted.
The group presentation on one book of Milton will entail the group creation of a master document of maximum 5 pages, and a group presentation of the document to the class in 15 minutes. This is the only group grade in the course. Online participation will be monitored, and anyone not pulling his or her weight will receive a grade 10% lower than the group and could receive zero if he or she contributes nothing. The purpose of the document is to provide a summary, a thematic overview, and a series of discussion points for the class. All 12 books of the poem will be covered in this way, in reading order, providing a study guide for the entire class. Groups will be randomized and dates set firmly: all members must participate and attend in order to receive the grade. Time limits are strict.
Note: All students are responsible for ascertaining their presentation group and the group’s scheduled presentation date. Missed presentations receive zero. They cannot be rescheduled without a doctor’s note.
The short essay on Milton must be 1500 words (give or take 10%), be formatted correctly throughout in MLA style, contain a word count, and have all sources consulted (whether or not they are cited or quoted) listed in a bibliography at the end. A style sheet will be provided. It must pose and answer a single question about a single book of Paradise Lost. The question must appear at the top of the first page, posed as a question; the essay answers it. First person is preferred. Students may work on the book they worked on for the group presentation, provided the essay does not duplicate any of that work exactly. They must be submitted in PDF only in the LEARN Dropbox by class time on the due date or in hard copy in class.
Participation in this class is extremely important and counts for 15% of the grade. If you do not talk, and do not keep up with the reading (and I only know that you are doing so if you talk) it is impossible to get a A-range grade in this class. Needless to say, this calls for regular attendance, as well.
Lateness Policy
Anything submitted late is subject to an automatic 10% penalty (a letter grade). If it is more than a week late (i.e., seven days, including weekends) it will be given a grade of zero. Tests and presentations cannot be rescheduled without a medical note.
Schedule of Classes
Week 1: Wed Sept 4
1. introduction to the course; a test poem; readings for the next class:
—
“Renaissance
Humanism”
(NAEL
6-9)
—
“The
Reformation”
(NAEL
9-13)
—
“William
Shakespeare”
(NAEL
718-22)
—
Shakespeare
Sonnets
1,
12,
30,
73,
105
Week
2:
Mon
Sept
9
and
Wed
Sept
11
1.
reading
above
sonnets
in
class;
for
next
class
sonnets
126,
129,
135,
144
2. reading sonnets for evidence of Renaissance and Reformation; for next class “The English Bible” (NAEL 1B: 143-48)
Week
3:
Mon
Sept
16
and
Wed
Sept
18
1.
reading
sonnets
in
class;
for
next
class
John
Calvin,
from
The
Institution
of
Christian
Religion
(NAEL
153)
2.
final
class
on
Shakespeare
sonnets;
review
Renaissance
and
Reformation
Week
4:
Mon
Sept
23
and
Wed
Sept
25
1.
QUIZ
1
ON
THE
REFORMATION,
30
minutes;
for
next
class
“The
Early
17th
Century:
1603-1660”
(NAEL
891-918)
and
“John
Donne”
(NAEL
1B:
920-23)
2. Donne poems in class: “The Flea,” “The Sun Rising,” “The Canonization”
Week 5: Mon Sept 30 and Wed Oct 2
1. Donne poems in class: “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning,” “Elegy 19. To His Mistress Going to Bed”
2. Donne poems in class: Holy Sonnets 7 and 14, “Meditation 4” (NAEL 923-969); for next class “George Herbert” (NAEL 1B: 1255-57)
Week 6: Mon Oct 7 and Wed Oct 9
1. Herbert poems in class: “The Altar,” “Easter Wings,” “Church Monuments,” “The Windows” (NAEL 1B: 1707–13); for next class “Robert Herrick" (NAEL 1B: 1306-7)
2. Herrick poems in class: “Corinna’s Going A-Maying,” “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” (NAEL 1B: 1760–62)
THANKSGIVING/STUDY BREAK OCTOBER 14-18
Week
7:
Mon
Oct
21
and
Wed
Oct
23
1.
POETRY
IMITATION
ASSIGNMENT
DUE;
for
next
class
"Andrew
Marvell”
(NAEL
1399-41)
2.
Marvell
poems
in
class:
“The
Mower
Against
Gardens,”
“The
Mower,”
“The
Garden,”
“To
His
Coy
Mistress”
Week 8: Mon Oct 28 and Wed Oct 30
1. TEST 1 ON LYRIC POETRY, 1 hour: for next class “John Milton” (NAEL 1447-50)
2. starting to read Paradise Lost in class: Group 1 Presentation on Book 1
Week
9:
Mon
Nov
4
and
Wed
Nov
6
1.
Paradise
Lost:
Groups
2
and
3
Presentations
2. Paradise Lost: Groups 4 and 5 Presentations
Week
10:
Mon
Nov
11
and
Wed
Nov
13
1.
Paradise
Lost:
Groups
6
and
7
Presentations
2. Paradise Lost: Groups 8 and 9 Presentations
Week 11: Mon Nov 18 and Wed Nov 20
1. Paradise Lost: Groups 10 and 11 Presentations; review “The Early 17th Century: 1603-1660” (NAEL 891-918)
2. QUIZ 2 ON THE CIVIL WARS, 30 minutes; Paradise Lost: Group 12 Presentation
Week 12: Mon Nov 25 and Wed Nov 27
1. Paradise Lost: final overview
2. MILTON TEST, 1 hour
Week
13:
Mon
Dec
2
1.
MILTON
ESSAY
DUE
in
class
or
in
Dropbox
by
class
time
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The
Writing
Centre
The
Writing
Centre
works
across
all
faculties
to
help
students
clarify
their
ideas,
develop
their
voices,
and
write
in
the
style
appropriate
to
their
disciplines.
Writing
Centre
staff
offer
one-on-one
support
in
planning
assignments
and
presentations,
using
and
documenting
research,
organizing
and
structuring
papers,
and
revising
for
clarity
and
coherence.
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can
make
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appointments
throughout
the
term,
or
drop
in
at
the
Library
for
quick
questions
or
feedback.
To
book
a
50-minute
appointment
and
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see
drop-in
hours,
visit
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specialists
guide
you
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your
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as
readers
would.
They
can
teach
you
revising
skills
and
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assignment
instructions
and
any
notes
or
drafts
to
your
appointment.