English 45A

Book List

Chaucer, G.: The Canterbury Tales, ed. Jill Mann; Dickson, Donald R.: John Donne's Poetry; Heaney, S.: Beowulf: A New Verse Translation (Bilingual Edition); Marlowe, C.: Doctor Faustus, ed. David Scott Kastan; Milton, John: Paradise Lost, ed. Gordon Teskey

Description

In this course you will explore some of the great foundational works of English literature, ranging from the very earliest period up to Milton's Paradise Lost. In the process, you will learn to understand--and even speak!--the forms of early English, and to appreciate genres ranging from epic to lyric verse. You will practice the close analysis of language, and will also consider how literature engages with--and shapes--the historical circumstances in which it was produced. Our goal is to understand how and why the texts we will read created the landscape of English literature.

Please note that this class will first meet on Wednesday, September 3; discussion sections will not start being held until Friday, September 5.