English 24

Book List

Shakespeare, William: Shakespeare's Sonnets and A Lover's Complaint, ed. Stanley Wells

Description

Shakespeare's sonnets were first published in 1609, rather late in his career, with a second, curiously distorted edition in 1640. Although little is known about how they were first received by the reading public, the sonnets still cause puzzlement and delight more than 400 years later. Over the course of the semester we will read all 154 sonnets, at the rate of approximately ten per week. All students will be expected to participate actively in seminar discussions. Each student will present one informal and one formal seminar report.

The first meeting of the seminar will be Wednesday, 6 September.

This 1-unit course may not be counted as one of the twelve courses required to complete the English major.