English 117A

Book List

Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream; Shakespeare: As You Like It; Shakespeare: Henry IV, Part One; Shakespeare: Henry IV, Part Two; Shakespeare: Henry V; Shakespeare: Richard II; Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet; Shakespeare: Sonnets; Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice

Description

English 117A studies the first half of Shakespeare's career in depth. We'll focus on eight plays--a tragedy, three major comedies, and the great four-play "Lancastrian" cycle of histories--and on the Sonnets. And we will acquaint ourselves with some highlights from the four-century tradition of writing about Shakespeare, developing our own critical skills by matching wits with great critics of the past (some of whom, like Johnson, Coleridge, or Wilde, you may already have met in other contexts). We will meet as a lecture on Mondays and Wednesdays, and will break into TA-led discussion sections on Fridays. Written work will include a close-reading essay, a guided research essay, and a variety of smaller-scale assignments drawing out individual concepts and skills.