ENG 3251 - British Literature I

Studying literature exposes students to a wide range of cultural and historical contexts, while at the same time sharpening analytical skills-skills that ultimately enable students to read and write at a level beyond basic competency and to think creatively. This course considers the growth of British literature from the earliest roots among the anonymous Anglo-Saxon poets of the seventh century to the great Neoclassical authors of the mid-eighteenth century. Students will be exposed to significant historical, cultural, and linguistic developments that shaped the course of literary production in English. Interpretation of important texts will also be guided by the appreciation of relevant cultural values - including the Anglo-Saxon "Heroic Code," Medieval "Chivalric Code," Renaissance "Courtly Aesthetic," and Restoration "Neoclassical" principles. Previously taught authors include Bede, Cynewulf, the Beowulf-poet, the Gawain-poet, Layamon, Marie De France, Geoffrey Chaucer, Julian of Norwich, Margery Kemp, Thomas More, Thomas Wyatt, Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, John Donne, Ben Jonson, John Milton, John Dryden, John Bunyan, Jonathan Swift, and Alexander Pope.

Credit Hours: 3

Term Offered: Fall

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