ENL 6226 STUDIES IN RENAISSANCE LITERATURE: POETRY Spring 2006
Office: immediately after class & by appointment, TUR 4111
E-Mail: irac@english.ufl.edu
In this course we will be reading Milton's Paradise Lost plus what are often regarded as the greatest lyrics in English, along with some exemplary criticism. We will attend first to understanding the poems, and second, to establishing contexts within which and approaches from which to read and write about poetry.
Students will be responsible for reading and contemplating assignments before we meet to discuss them. You will also be responsible for leading two twenty-minute discussions of a context for or an approach to reading some work (one on Milton and one on secular lyrics). Finally you will be responsible for writing three tightly argued and fully exemplified, stylish papers (one on Paradise Lost, one interpreting a single or several related secular lyrics, and another interpreting a single or several related sacred lyrics, the latter two on works not covered in class).
Your evaluations will be based on the two reports (see instructions on the report schedule) and the three papers (each approximately 2500 words, conforming to the MLA Style Manual article format), each worth one-fifth of your grade. Both reports and papers should quote the standard annotated edition and be based on a sound knowledge of the glosses in major annotated editions, standard historical dictionaries, and other reference works.
This course abides by the University's policies on plagiarism and academic honesty. Except for grave illness or death in the immediate family, all late work earns an automatic E.January 11 Introduction
18 Milton: "Elegia Sexta," "Nativity Ode" Paradise Lost, invocations to Books I, III, VII, and IX
25 Milton: Paradise Lost, Books I-II.
February 1 Milton: Paradise Lost, Books III-VI
8 Milton: Paradise Lost, Books VII-IX
15 Milton: Paradise Lost, Books X-XII
16 Paper on Paradise Lost due by 9:00 a.m. Clark's Mailbox.
22 Donne: secular lyrics. Reference tour, 4:00.
March 1 Donne: secular lyrics, occasional verse
8 Jonson: secular lyrics
22 Herrick, Lovelace, Suckling, Denham: Coopers Hill
29 Marvell
30 Paper 2 due by 9:00 a.m. Clark's Mailbox.April 5 Southwell, Alabaster, Donne: sacred lyrics; Lewalski: 3-110; and Clark: iv-63
12 Herbert; Schoenfeldt: 1-56, 199-229
19 Crashaw: Saint Teresa poems; Vaughan: sacred lyrics; Durr: 29-99
26 Traherne, Taylor
28 Paper 3 due by 9:00 a.m. Clark's Mailbox.The following required texts are available at Goerings': John Milton, Paradise Lost, ed. John Leonard; The Metaphysical Poets, ed. Helen Gardner; Ben Jonson & the Cavalier Poets, ed. Hugh Maclean.
Ira Clark