British Writers I

Catalog description

This course surveys British and Irish literature from its Old English beginnings to the late 1700s. Concentrating on major works of poetry, drama, and fiction from the Medieval, Early Modern, and Eighteenth-Century eras, students will learn to situate literary writings within their relevant socio-cultural contexts. Readings may include works by Chaucer, Shakespeare, Marlowe, Donne, Behn, and Swift. Course lecture and discussion will address issues of ethnic identity, gender conventions, social and economic crises, political subversion, sexuality and knowledge, and the poetics of power.