introduction to early modern literature assignment

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The Early Modern Period

Special thanks to Eastern's own Catherine Allegretti for writing this helpful introduction!

The Early Modern Period of English literature began in roughly 1485, around the time the Tudor Dynasty came into control of England. Following a victory in the War of the Roses, Henry Tudor assumed the throne as Henry VII and married Elizabeth York. The introduction of the printing press in 1476 led to an emphasis on the English language and a focus on vernacular literature. This period saw a reformation movement as the struggle between political power and religion came center stage with Henry VIII. Often referred to as the Renaissance period in English literature, the second half of the period was an artistic and cultural celebration, with some of England’s finest playwrights and poets emerging during this time. Additionally, the Early Modern Period was marked by humanism , which stressed the potential for goodness in humans and placed importance of the human being over divine and supernatural matters. Metaphysical poetry and a stronger sense of national unity would also find their place among literary themes of the period. The period is also strongly characterized by the shift in readership. During the 16 th and early 17 th centuries, printing grew, readership increased, and people wanted to widen their intellectual horizons, leading to more demand for literature.

POETRY IN HENRY VIII’S COURT

While nationalist pride rose during this time, so did admiration of poetry. The poetry of this time reflected the religious turmoil and also the humanist ideas that were starting to appear more frequently in literature.

Two significant poets of Henry VIII’s age were Sir Thomas Wyatt and Earl of Surrey . They were the first poets to introduce new forms of poetic meter and use humanist rhetoric. Sir Thomas Wyatt introduced the sonnet into English language and literature and although he took some structure from Petrarch’s sonnet, his rhyme schemes are significantly different. This marks the beginning of the English use of three quatrains and a closing couplet. Very little of Wyatt’s poetry was printed during his time, but 15 years after his death, some of his poems were published in an anthology, Tottel’s Miscellany (1557), showing his moral and reflective voice. Included among his famous poems is “Whoso List to Hunt” . Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, was the counterpart of Wyatt and had a much more traditional and musical style to his writing. He was the first to publish in blank verse and the two friends are often linked together when discussing poetry of the time. Many of his poems appeared in the collection published in 1557, and his “Description of the Restless State” (1557) remains one of his most well-known of his contributions.

THE REFORMATION

The reformation began with Henry VIII’s severance from the Roman Catholic Church after it refused to grant his annulment to Catherine of Aragon. By creating an independent Church of England, Henry dissolved many religious communities and traditions within England. When he died and Edward VI became king, Church reform continued at an accelerated pace, something that his half-sister Mary attempted to stop when she took the throne. Elizabeth I gave the people of England solace and during her reign she worked to create a national Church. With her help, the English Bible was translated into a common language for the people, and religion was restored to the country.

Perhaps the most significant poet in English history, Edmund Spenser rose to prominence around this time with his poem The Shepheardes Calendar (1579). This poem consists of 12 eclogues , short pastoral poems in the form of a dialogue or soliloquy. Spenser’s piece was one of the first in the pastoral genre , which focuses on rural life and the responsibilities of shepherds. Unlike his predecessors, Spenser was not wealthy and grew up among the working class of England, something shown in his earlier works. Spenser was a devout Protestant and his attitudes about religion can be seen in what is considered his greatest work, The Faerie Queen . This incomplete epic poem was published in two parts and makes use of the Spenserian stanza , a form invented by Spenser that contains nine lines: eight in iambic pentameter and one final line in iambic hexameter. This poem was received favorably among royalty as it praised Elizabeth I and Spenser received yearly stipends after its release. The Faerie Queen (1590-1596) is an allegorical piece following several knights as they encounter different virtues and vices. Spenser’s goal was to write about individual moral qualities that would, when the epic was finished, show the ideal human being. Spenser’s epic has many layers of allegory and he also attributes many of the virtues to different historical figures, celebrating Queen Elizabeth, the Protestant faith, and the English nation.

BEGINNINGS OF DRAMA

The first examples of drama came from reenactments of the Old Testament and scenes from The Passion. Early plays were largely religious except for those that would be performed within the platform of higher education. Interludes and morality plays were some of the most common types of performances during the Early Modern Period. Interludes were short plays focused on teaching ethics and morality and were common shows within the court. Morality plays showed the protagonist meeting personifications of various morals who encourage him to choose a godly life. An example of this is Everyman (1510). The first large theatre was opened in 1576, giving permanence to the idea of drama as an artistic medium.

Christopher Marlowe is considered Shakespeare’s greatest predecessor and one of the first great playwrights in the English language. Famous for his alleged atheism and homosexuality, Marlowe was often the subject of controversy and trouble. Marlowe’s three major works are all tragedies, including Dr. Faustus (1592) , which epitomizes his recurring theme of a hero who passionately seeks power. In this play, Faustus wants access to forbidden knowledge and makes a deal with Lucifer. There was an intense belief in the devil during this time, and Marlowe’s play would have served as a warning for audience members.

This focus on morality was a common theme for many writers. Ben Jonson wrote several satires against those hungry for money and power and through his plays showed that these desires could only lead to corruption. His most performed play, Volpone (1605) , exposes and satirizes those with greed and lust. In the play, Volpone is a Venetian gentleman who pretends to be on his deathbed to trick others into giving him lavish gifts. By the end of the play everyone has become deceitful and all are punished.

SHAKESPEARE

Beginning as an actor and eventually transitioning to the role as one of the most talented and prolific playwrights throughout time, William Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets during his lifetime (1564-1616). His ability to capture the psychological and moral struggles of human nature has made him a universal and timeless writer, with his works remaining relevant today.

Shakespeare’s sonnets were published posthumously and their intended order is often difficult to determine. Of his 154 sonnets, the first 126 of them are addressed to a beautiful young man, something that would have been considered strange during this time period. In “ Sonnet 18,” one of his most widely read poems, Shakespeare compares his beloved to the summer season, arguing that his beloved is better. Many of the poems addressed to the man had romantic undertones, leaving historians to question Shakespeare’s relationship with him.

Shakespeare’s tragedies, including Othello, Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, and Romeo and Juliet , are some of his most successful plays. These are some of the finest examples of the genre and each share general characteristics classifying them as Shakespearean tragedy. For example, in many of these plays the protagonist is a tragic hero with one fatal flaw that leads to his eventual downfall.

In Othello , a Venetian Moor named Othello is driven to murder his beloved Desdemona when his unfaithful ensign, Iago, manipulates him. By planting doubt in Othello’s mind, Iago is able to convince him that Desdemona and Othello’s friend, Cassio, are having an affair.

In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth receives a prophecy from three witches telling him that he will become the King of Scotland. Driven by ambition and his wife’s urging, he kills King Duncan and becomes a dictator, killing more and more to protect himself.

Hamlet tells a story of revenge. Early in the play the ghost of Hamlet’s father appears, commanding Hamlet to avenge his death by killing Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle and his father’s murderer.

King Lear shows the title character’s psychological decline after dividing his kingdom among his daughters. Lear disinherits his daughter Cordelia for her refusal to flatter him, but gives her sisters, Goneril and Regan, property. When Lear later decides to live with Goneril and Regan, madness begins and deception and murder run rampant in the kingdom.

Romeo and Juliet is a story of two star-crossed lovers, doomed as a result of their parents’ feud. Their forbidden love leads to tragic consequences for the couple.

Many of Shakespeare’s histories follow the same structure as a Shakespearean tragedy. His histories cover a large portion of English history and include Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, Henry VIII, Richard II, and Richard III . Most of his histories interpreted political concerns of the time, as in the case of Richard II . In this play, Shakespeare writes negatively of the ruler responsible for the War of the Roses. This would have resonated well among English citizens looking for someone to blame for that period of political instability.

Shakespearean comedies are characterized by a happy ending, with a restoration of the social order and often a marriage. The tone of these plays is much more upbeat and playful. Usually, there is deception, wit, and multiple intersecting plots all aimed at creating laughter and connection to characters. Shakespeare authored several comedies, but The Merchant of Venice and A Midsummer Night’s Dream are two of his most famous.

In The Merchant of Venice Bassanio, a young Venetian noble, strikes a deal with the Jewish moneylender Shylock. Bassanio needs the money to woo the wealthy heiress Portia, whose wit and status make her a desirable partner. Although a comedy, this play is better known for dramatic scenes like Shylock’s “Hath not a Jew eyes?” speech.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream has four connecting plot lines: the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta, the adventures of four lovers, an amateur acting troupe, and the fairies who manipulate and control everyone. This play includes magic and mischief, often at the expense of mortals, but ends with laughter and happiness in each of the intersecting stories.

METAPHYSICAL POETRY

As the Renaissance period neared its end, a new group of poets arrived, known as metaphysical poets . Most of these poets had very different styles of writing, making their style difficult to generalize, but their use of metaphysical conceits , far-fetched similes and metaphors, makes it easier to identify. John Donne was one of the first of these metaphysical poets and his work reflected the relative foolishness of human activity and the intellectual challenges within humanity. He is the author of the finest collection of love lyrics entitled Songs and Sonnets (1633). Donne’s most famous work is “ The Flea ” (1633), an erotic metaphysical poem that sees the speaker likening the bite of a flea to sexual intercourse. Donne also wrote about religion and in his poem, “Batter my heart, three-personed God” (1633) he deals with feelings of unworthiness and unfaithfulness when considering God’s never-ending love. This was one of Donne’s Holy Sonnets , published posthumously in his collection Songs and Sonnets. Donne’s Holy Sonnets focused heavily on his religious turmoil within the Catholic Church and also reflected his personal hardships throughout his life.

Andrew Marvell and George Herbert were also masters of metaphysical poetry, with Herbert excelling in lyrical poetry and Marvell using his wit and intellect to entice readers. In his poem, “To His Coy Mistress” he displays this intellect and skillfully uses stretched metaphors when he tries to convince a woman that although he would spend centuries wooing her, they should not have to wait that long.

Although not a metaphysical poet, Robert Herrick used sensuality and eroticism in his early poems as well. Later in his life he focused more on spirituality, but the sexual nature of his earlier poetry makes these poems his most famous. His poem, “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” is one of his carpe diem poems that, similar to Marvell’s piece, advises virgins not to wait to have sex.

WHERE ARE THE WOMEN WRITERS?

While writings by women during this period continue to be uncovered and analyzed, there were two women writers in the Early Modern Period whose works are studied today. Katherine Phillips wrote primarily about the intense and passionate friendships between women, leading some to characterize her as a lesbian writer. Her poem, “To my Excellent Lucasia, on our Friendship” (1667), was published posthumously and is one of her more well known poems describing this same-sex friendship. Margaret Cavendish was an English aristocrat who rose to literary prominence with one of the first examples of science fiction. Her novel, The Blazing World (1666), is the only utopian novel written by a woman during the 17 th century and in this semi-autobiographical account, Cavendish gives power to women and names herself the ruler of her imagined kingdom.

By the end of the Renaissance period, there was a collection of works and writing that would have a lasting impact on generations to come, but the Restoration of the monarchy would prove to bring changes both in the political and literary spectrum.

For this introduction I consulted: Robert Barnard’s A Short History of English Literature, Stephen Coote’s The Penguin Short History of English Literature, Andrew Sanders’ The Short Oxford History of English Literature, and The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Major Authors (Vol. 1)

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Journal Synthesis Assignment Sheet & Rubric

Oer assignments for introduction to literature, pov assignment sheet & rubric, ya/children's lit assignment sheet & rubric, introduction to literature assignments.

This project was part of the Western Maryland M.O.S.T. Institutional Grant (2020). While it focuses primarily on a 100-level Introduction to Literature course, the open resource and subsequent assignments could easily be adapted for upper-level undergraduate literature courses. Furthermore, the design of this project allows instructors to continue to utilize texts with which they are most familiar.

Introduction

See the attached document for the full resource.

As the instructor, first explore the primary resource from Oregon State University used in this project. The Oregon State Guide to English Literary Terms video series is licensed by creative commons (CC BY) and available online at https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/oregon-state-guide-english-literary-terms . The open assignments that follow were created to support instructors utilizing the Oregon State resource in collaboration with texts in the literature classroom. Each assignment contains instructions for instructors, tips for teaching, the assignment, and if applicable, a rubric. This resource is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license © 2021 and can be reproduced or revised as necessary.

[1] Here are a few Open Literature Resources if you need texts to work with in your class:

https://www.gutenberg.org/
https://www.oercommons.org/courses/the-open-anthology-of-earlier-american-literature/view
https://americanliterature.com/100-great-short-stories
https://most.oercommons.org/courseware/3

Literary Terms Identification Quiz

Instructions for Instructors

Create a quiz of terms and definitions. This can be comprehensive or just a few you introduce in a specific unit. (Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remember). It is recommended that you select terms and definitions ( https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/oregon-state-guide-english-literary-terms ) which you have covered in class and consider essential to meeting the objectives of your particular course.

Tips for Teaching

You may wish consider these as two sections of the same quiz OR as two related assignments given with a week or two of each other. For instance, you may wish to assign a short quiz in which your students identify/ define several related literary terms (for example, terms related to figurative language) and then, after having read some works which focus those terms, assign the literary terms application quiz based on those works. The students learn to identify the terms first and shortly after, apply them to actual words of literature. You can repeat this combination through the semester as you move from section to section if you arrange your course around different learning units.

Instructions for Students

The objective of this assignment is to assess your ability to remember the definitions of key literary devices and terms. After watching your assigned videos from The Oregon State Guide to English Literary Terms , match each term to its definition.

Anaphora -the repetition of words or phrases in the beginning of a group sentences, phrases or poetic lines.

Blank Verse -poetry written in unrhymed but metered lines, almost always iambic pentameter.

Deus Ex Machina -a literary device in Latin meaning “God from the machine”, in which a plot is solved at the end of a story through an “miraculous” event.

Ekphrasis -a literary description of a work of art.

Enjambment -the poetic term for the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next.

Epistrophe - the repetition of phrases or words in a set of clauses, sentences, or poetic lines.

Figurative Language- a literary device asking the reader or listener to understand something by virtue of its relation to some other thing, action, or image.

Flashback -a trigger that interrupts the present (usually chronological) action of a story to show readers a meaningful scene that happened in the past.

Flat Character -a character who is superficial, predictable, or otherwise not very sophisticated.

Foreshadowing -a narrative device in which suggestions or warnings about events to come are dropped or planted.

Frame Story -a narrative that surrounds another story or set of stories.

Free Direct Discourse -a point-of-view that blends first and third person perspectives.

Genres -categories that have developed over time for what we read, what we watch, and what we listen to.

Graphic Novel -a narrative that involves both pictures and words.

Hyperbole -the art of exaggeration to convey an amplified personal response.

Imagery -the use of vivid language designed to appeal to the senses.

Irony -words or actions that depart from what characters or the reader expect them to say or do.

Juxtaposition -the position of two objects next to one another for the purpose of drawing attention to them.

Metaphor -a comparison between two things that are otherwise unrelated.

Metonymy -a comparison of two objects that are not similar in qualities.

Narrator -the fictional construct the author has created to tell the story through.

Oxymoron -the rhetorical term that describes words or phrases that, when placed together, create paradoxes or contradictions.

Personification -when something nonhuman is described using human characteristics.

Poetic Meter -the basic rhythmic structure of a line within a poem.

Point of View - the audience’s perspective on the events of the narrative.

Prologue -Comes at the start of a literary work and introduces background information such as characters and setting.

Rhyme Scheme -the pattern of end rhymes in a stanza.

Round Character -characters that have a certain depth or complexity.

Satire - the art of making someone or something look ridiculous, raising laughter in order to embarrass, humble, or discredit its targets.

Simile -the comparison of tow objects, usually involving the words “like” or “as”.

Sonnet -a 14-line poem using a specific rhyme scheme.

Stanza -smaller units of prose cut into lines.

Steam of Consciousness -a narrative style that tries to capture a character’s thought process in a realistic way.

Symbolism -a literary device in which words or actions represent something else.

Synecdoche -a metaphorical device in which a part of something represents the whole object.

Understatement -the description of something as having much less of a particular quality than it does.

Unreliable Narrator -a first person narrator that may not be completely trustworthy or unbiased.

Literary Terms Application Quiz

Create a quiz of terms and literary passages. This can be comprehensive or just a few you introduce in a specific unit. (Bloom’s Taxonomy: Apply). Below are example questions to revise for the terms, definitions, and texts you are using in your literature course.

It is recommended that you select terms and definitions which you have covered in class and consider essential to meeting the objectives of your particular course. For each exercise, select a passage from a work your students have studied. Ask that the students to identify a specific literary term in each passage and then write a 1 paragraph (7+ sentences) explanation of how this particular term helps the reader understand the larger work more fully.

In each passage, identify the literary term requested and write a brief definition of that term. Then write a 1 paragraph response explaining how the term in this passage helps the reader understand the whole work. The objective of this assignment is to assess your ability to identify and apply key literary devices and terms.

Question 1. In "Ex-Basketball Player", John Updike writes about a former high school athlete who now works as a gas station attendant. In the 2nd stanza, he has the young man, Flick, identify with the "idiot pumps" using basketball imagery. Aside from this second stanza, where else in the poem does the author use imagery that suggests Flick's preoccupation with his basketball career? Write a 1-paragraph response addressing the following.

Define the term Imagery.
Locate a line outside of the 2 nd stanza and explain how the poet is using imagery.
Explain how the poet is using this imagery to create a broader theme related to Flick and his former glory?

Question 2. In Katherine Mansfield’s story, “Miss Brill”, the story follows the title character through her Sunday afternoon walk to the public gardens. The point of view of the story plays a significant role in how the reader views this story. Write a 1-paragraph response addressing the following.

Define point of view.
Explain the specific point of view of this story, quoting at least one line that shows this point of view.
Describe how this specific point of view provides the reader with unique insights into understanding this story.
[Bonus] Contrast how this story would be very different if told from a different point of view. Use details from the story to support your claims.

Question 3. The short story, “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne uses various symbols to provide meaning to the story. Write a 1-paragraph response addressing the following.

Define what a symbol is.
Locate an object or action in this story that serves as a symbol in the story.
Explain how this specific object or action provides meaning to the story, using specific references to the text to support your claim.

Point of View Essay

This assignment works best when your students have already been introduced to/ have worked on the concept of point of view. This assignment can be a challenge for some students as it asks them to imagine a concept that isn’t present in the text already. For those students, you may help them get started by engaging in class (or small-group) discussions that practice this change of point of view. This can help some students start to understand how the exercise can work. Edit the highlighted text before giving the assignment sheet to students.

See the sample assignment sheet and rubric that you can modify for your class.

In literature, point of view (POV) is the audience’s perspective on the events in the story. For this assignment, you’ll choose one of the short stories we have read to discuss and apply your understanding of POV. This assignment will have two parts. For Part 1, you’ll analyze and explain the POV in the story. In Part 2, you’ll retell a portion of the story from a new or different POV.

Children’s/YA Literature Essay

This assignment works best when your students have a solid understanding of a variety of literary terms (maybe around the midterm), so they feel like they have various options. Some students who have fond memories of favorite works of children’s or young adult literature (or have favorites they share with their children now) will be able to locate texts for this assignment easily. However, those students who did not read much when they were younger may have difficulties identifying possible children’s texts on their own. Therefore, you may want to prepare a collection of children/YA works that you enjoyed and make recommendations to that latter group of students.

See the attached assignment sheet & rubric that you can modify to fit your class.

The objective of this assignment is to identify and analyze the literary devices we have discussed in class. For the Children’s Literature Essay, you will analyze a favorite story you read as a kid. A literary analysis examines and interprets a piece of literature. It is NOT a summary. The essay will present an argument, or claim, about the work and the literary devices it employs. The purpose is to demonstrate what you’ve learned about literature and the devices authors use to tell a story.

Journal Synthesis

This assignment works best no earlier than midway through a semester, perhaps even later. If you are asking your students to regularly journal about the literary works, they should ideally have a substantial portfolio of their journals (or discussion boards, if applicable) from which to observe and reflect on their growth during the semester by the time you're deep into the semester.

See the attached assignment sheet & rubric that you can modify for your class.

The objective of this assignment is to synthesize your growth as a reader and writer in Introduction to Literature. For the Journal Synthesis, you will compose a synthesis of your weekly journals, reading strategies, and writing processes throughout the semester. A synthesis is a way to make connections between texts with the goal of presenting and supporting a claim. The purpose is to demonstrate your achievements as a reader, writer, and critical thinker this semester.

Drama Assignment

Audience Your instructor

Read one of the plays from our list of texts. If you can find a full staged version live or recorded on a platform like YouTube.com, you may watch that performance. Make sure you are well-acquainted with the play as it is written/ performed before an audience.
Locate a movie/ TV movie full-length adaptation of the same play and watch that movie version. Consider the written play version the original text and the movie version as the adaptation of the original.
Characters : Are there significant characters added or subtracted in the movie adaptation? Do some of the characters have greater or lesser importance in the movie version? What is the significance of these differences in character?
Plot : Are there significant plot differences between the written version and movie adaptation? What plot points/ complications are added or subtracted from the written version? How do these plot changes influence the movie version? Why do you think the creators of the movie made these changes?
Language/ Content : Are there significant language differences between the written and movie version? What are these differences? What do these changes suggest about what is permitted in a play version and a movie version? Are there themes or issues that are addressed in the original play that are changed in the movie version? Are these differences related to the eras when the play was written and when the movie was produced?
Setting : Does the movie version set scenes in locations different than are presented in the original play version? Are scenes arranged in a different order in the different versions? How does the movie version employ use of flashbacks/ flashforwards or time changes versus the play version? What are tools regarding scene and time changes that can be used in a play version versus in a movie version?
Music/ Lights - Do the two different versions of the text use background music/ underscoring? Does the use of music differ between versions? What is the effect of these uses of music? Do the two versions employ lighting in different ways? What is the effect of these differences?
You may wish to merely identify the significant differences in your essay or you may wish to analyze and critique these differences and their effects on the two versions of the play.
Be aware that changes from the original version are not automatically bad. Some changes might be necessary or appropriate when producing a play versus a movie. You may wish to research whether the playwright participated in the production of the movie version.
MLA Web Publications Citation on a Works Cited page, information about electronic sources from the Purdue OWL: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_electronic_sources.html
Writing in Literature- suggestions about how to structure a literature paper from Purdue OWL. There are several excellent links within this main page: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/index.html

Note to Instructors: The seven plays below work well for this assignment. This list also includes at least 1 movie/ TV movie adaptation of the play. You may wish to screen these plays and movie versions for content, language, etc. ahead of assigning them.

Play Playwright Movie Version Date/ Details

Grading Rubric

0-2

Title

0-5

Introduction

0-15

Content

0-10

Language Use

0-10

Organization/Arrangement

0-5

Conclusion

0-3

MLA Formatting, Citations, & Works Cited

*Overall grade will be reduced one letter grade each day the assignment is late.

Narrative Assignment

Personal narrative assignment.

Objective: To research an excerpt from a personal narrative and explain its theme and purpose and the historical context of the narrative.

Audience: Your instructor

Length: 500-700 words

Assignment:

Read one of the personal narrative excerpts below.
Research important biographical information of the author and the historical context of the narrative
Write a paragraph (at least seven sentences) in which you provide basic biographical information about the author of the narrative. Make sure you properly cite the source of this biographical information following Modern Language Association (MLA) guidelines.
Write a full paragraph (at least twelve sentences) in which summarize the actions, events of the narrative. You may wish to directly quote from the narrative but make sure no more than 20% of this paragraph is direct quotes.
The setting of the events of the narrative (where and when did it occur)
The purpose of the author writing this narrative
The audience of this narrative
The general reaction of this narrative
What sections of the narrative did you find most interesting/ compelling?
What sections of the narrative were the hardest to understand/ relate to?
How do you respond to the author as a person?
Do you see any similarities in this narrative to your own experiences?

Makes sure that you use in-text citations when necessary and provide an appropriate Works Cited page at the end. Both the in-text citations and Works Cited page should follow MLA guidelines.

List of Narrative excerpts:

Mary Antin- “The Promised Land”

Olaudah Equiano “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano”

Fanny Fern- “The Working Girls of New York”

Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins – “Life among the Piutes”

Red Cloud “Address to Cooper Union” [All I want is Peace and justice]

Mary Rowlandson “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson”

Zitkala-Sa- ”The School Days of an Indian Girl”

Booker T Washington “Up From Slavery”

[Instructors may add/ subtract works as needed]

Poetry rhythm assignment, poetry- rhythm assignment.

Objective: To identify the specific rhythm of a poem and explain how that rhythm is significant to understanding that poem.

Audience: Your instructor.

Length: 250-350 words

Select two poems from the list of poems [Instructor- it is best to provide a list of poems in order to limit opportunities for plagiarism and give students some boundaries]. Make one of your poems [name of “base” poem, which you’ve discussed with class]. Select a second poem which we have not covered as a class.

For each poem write a paragraph identifying the rhythm(s) of the poem and explaining how the rhythm(s) provide specific meaning to the poem. Feel free to quote specific lines or phrases from the poems to support your points.

If you use outside sources to assist you in writing this assignment, please use MLA format in-text citations and a Works Cited page at the end of the journal.

List of Poems

Theodore Roethke – “My Papa’s Waltz”

William Shakespeare- Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day”

William Shakespeare- “My Mistresses’ Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun”

Gwendolyn Brooks- “We Real Cool”

Claude McKay- “The Tropics in New York”

Alfred, Lord Tennyson- “Break, break, break”

[Instructors may add/ subtract poems as needed]

Poetry speaker assignment, poetry- speaker/voice assignment.

Objective: To examine a poem and identify how the poet creates a speaker or voice in the poem that we recognize as separate from the actual voice of the poet.

Length of assignment: 250-350 words.

Assignment: Select a poem from the list below. Read it several times to determine the “voice” or “speaker” of the poem. Write a 250-350 journal in which you explain how the poet intentionally creates a distinct speaker or voice in the poem, separate from that of the poet. Refer to or quote specific lines to support your points. Explain how the poet creates a full, unique character as the speaker of this poem.

List of poems:

A.E. Houseman- “Is my Team Ploughing?”

Robert Browning- “My Last Duchess” or “Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister”

William Blake- “The Chimney Sweeper”

Langston Hughes- “Mother to Son”

Jane Johnston Schoolcraft- “Invocation”

Wilfred Owen- “Dulce et Decorum Est”

Howard Moss- “The Pruned Tree”

James Stephens- “ A Glass of Beer”

[Instructors: Add/ Subtract from this list as you choose. Just make sure that the poems involve a speaker or voice who is distinct from the voice of the poet]

Short Fiction Theme

Short fiction-theme assignment.

Objective: To identify and trace a theme or motif in a short story.

Assignment Length 400-600 word essay:

Select one (1) short story from the list below.
Read it carefully, noting keys plot points. Make a list of the key characters and their main goals and actions through the story.
Identify a key theme, locating at least three (3) specific instances/ references to this theme in the story.
Summarize the plot of the story in one paragraph. Do not attempt to mention every minor plot point; highlight the key events that following the main characters and their most important goals and actions.
In 1-2 paragraphs, articulate the central theme identified in (3) above. Specifically quote these instances, explaining how these references to the theme add to a greater understanding of the story as a whole. You do not need to retell the plot; your goal is to highlight the key moments when this theme is used to articulate the larger idea of the story.

List of Short Stories.

John Cheever- “The Swimmer”

James Joyce- “Araby”

Flannery O’Connor- “Good Country People”

Tobias Wolf- “Hunters in the Snow”

John Updike “A & P”

Kate Chopin- “The Story of an Hour”

“ Zora Neale Hurston- Spunk”

Katherine Mansfield- “Miss Brill”

Bobbie Lee Mason- “Shiloh”

Alice Munro- “How I Met My Husband”

W.W. Jacobs- The Monkey’s Paw

[ Instructors can add/ subtract works according to their preferences]

Version history.

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Teaching Early Modern English Literature from the Archives

Editors: Heidi Brayman Hackel, Ian Frederick Moulton
Pages: xii & 274 pp.
Published: 2015
ISBN: 9781603291552 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 9781603291569 (Paperback)

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Teaching Literature Book Award Honorable Mention —Idaho State University

“[A] superb resource for anyone teaching in the early modern period, whether in undergraduate or graduate classes, in specialized courses or surveys, or in any type of institution.” —Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Teaching

Description
Contributors

The availability of digital editions of early modern works brings a wealth of exciting archival and primary source materials into the classroom. But electronic archives can be overwhelming and hard to use, for teachers and students alike, and digitization can distort or omit information about texts. Teaching Early Modern English Literature from the Archives places traditional and electronic archives in conversation, outlines practical methods for incorporating them into the undergraduate and graduate curriculum, and addresses the theoretical issues involved in studying them. The volume discusses a range of physical and virtual archives from 1473 to 1700 that are useful in the teaching of early modern literature—both major sources and rich collections that are less known (including affordable or free options for those with limited institutional resources).

Although the volume focuses on English literature and culture, essays discuss a wide range of comparative approaches involving Latin, French, Spanish, German, and early American texts and explain how to incorporate visual materials, ballads, domestic treatises, atlases, music, and historical documents into the teaching of literature.

Honorable Mention in the Idaho State University Teaching Literature Book Award

Jennifer Bowers Sheila Cavanagh Simone Chess Angelica Duran Joshua Eckhardt Jeremy Ehrlich Patrick M. Erben Patricia Fumerton Tassie Gniady Peter C. Herman W. Scott Howard Janelle Jenstad Peggy Keeran Erin Kelly Rebecca Laroche Zachary Lesser Shawn Martin Kris McAbee Laura McGrane Irene Middleton Joseph M. Ortiz Katherine Rowe Marjorie Rubright Arnold Sanders Gitanjali Shahani Evelyn Tribble Phillip John Usher Sarah Werner Heather Wolfe Georgianna Ziegler

Bibliographical and Textual Studies
British Literature

Acknowledgments (xi)

Introduction (1)

Heidi Brayman Hackel and Ian Frederick Moulton

Part I: Introducing Archives

Bringing Undergraduates into the Archives (15)

Sarah Werner

Manuscripts and Paleography for Undergraduates (22)

Heather Wolfe

Images, Texts, and Records: Electronic Teaching in a Confusing Landscape (32)

Shawn Martin

The Work of the Book in an Age of Digital Reproduction (39)

Evelyn Tribble

The Death of the Editor and Printer: Teaching Early Modern Publishing Practices to Internet-Raised Undergraduates (45)

Arnold Sanders

The Translingual Archive (54)

Patrick M. Erben

Virtual Theater History: Interpreting the Space of Play in a Shakespeare Class (64)

Katherine Rowe

Part II: Building Archives

Teaching the Metadata: Playbook History in the Undergraduate Classroom (75)

Zachary Lesser

Engendering the Early Modern Archive (82)

Sheila T. Cavanagh, Gitanjali Shahani, and Irene Middleton

The English Broadside Ballad Archive : From Theory to Practice (90)

Patricia Fumerton, Simone Chess, Tassie Gniady, and Kris McAbee

Restoring Place to the Digital Archive: The Map of Early Modern London (101)

Janelle Jenstad

Part III: Teaching Texts

“Magic in the Web”: Online Resources for Undergraduate Shakespeare Courses (115)

Jeremy Ehrlich

Early Modern Women in the Archives (125)

Rebecca Laroche

Opening Up The Roaring Girl and the Woman Question with EEBO (133)

Peter C. Herman

Teaching Verse Miscellanies (145)

Joshua Eckhardt

Archives on Trial: Executing Richard II and Eikon Basilike in the Digital Age (152)

W. Scott Howard, Peggy Keeran, and Jennifer Bowers

Not Either-or but Rather Both-and : Using Both Material and Electronic Resources (162)

Angelica Duran

Part IV: Beyond Literature

Teaching the Early Modern Music Archive (173)

Joseph M. Ortiz

Typefaces and Title Pages: Archives in Undergraduate Courses (181)

Phillip John Usher

Online Emblems in the Classroom (191)

Erin E. Kelly

Charting New Worlds: The Early Modern World Atlas and Electronic Archives (201)

Marjorie Rubright

News and Material Culture in Early Modern and Restoration England: Using and Making Digital Archives (212)

Laura McGrane

Historical Resources for Students of Early English Literature (221)

Georgianna Ziegler

Part V: Resources

Finding Archives Online (239)

Notes on Contributors (263)

Index (269)

“The volume brilliantly combines the visionary and the pragmatic and is a gold mine of great ideas about how to engage students in the production of knowledge. It is a remarkably timely project.”

—Michael Schoenfeldt, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

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Modern Period in English Literature

The Modern Period in English literature marks a significant transition in terms of aesthetic expression and cultural responses. It came into being as a direct reaction to the profound socio economic upheavals that followed World War I . This period was marked by the impact of technical developments, such as rapid industrialization and the emergence of mass media, which altered how people understood the world. This period was also marked by the disillusionment and anguish of the war. Literary conventions were abandoned during the transition from the Edwardian Era to the Modern Period, and there was a strong feeling of fragmentation that reflected the shattered post-war world . The literature of this time period is distinguished by its examination of issues like alienation, existentialism, and the quest for purpose in a world that is becoming more and more confusing and complicated.

Table of Contents

Historical and Cultural Background

The Modern Period’s cultural and historical context offers a vibrant tapestry against which its literature developed. Since so many authors, painters, and musicians were dealing with the tragic effects of the war on people and society, World War I had a lasting impression on both art and literature. The Jazz Age and the Roaring Twenties created an atmosphere of hedonism and excess that was in stark contrast to the war’s enduring effects. An atmosphere of ambiguity and social upheaval was generated by economic and political changes, notably the Great Depression , and it was reflected in the literature of the time. The artistic manifestations of the time were enriched by the cultural movement known as the Harlem Renaissance , which celebrated African American contributions to literature and art. Furthermore, the impact of existential philosophy and Freudian psychology encouraged authors to dive into the human psyche and the search for meaning, producing works that explored the depths of the human experience and identity. Together, these cultural and historical influences produced the modern period’s literary atmosphere, which was vibrant and frequently turbulent, making it an intriguing and influential period in English literary history.

Read More: Death of a Salesman as a modern tragedy

Literature of the Modern Period

The Modern Period brought a shift in the novel-writing tradition, exemplified by the emergence of the Modernist Novel. Innovative storytelling techniques were established by this literary movement, most notably the “stream of consciousness” technique. This technique, which tried to dive deeply into the inner workings of the human mind, was pioneered by authors like James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. The story lines in their works, such as Joyce’s “ Ulysses ,” Woolf’s “ Mrs. Dalloway ,” and Fitzgerald’s “ The Great Gatsby ,” frequently transitioned smoothly from one idea or impression to another, reflecting the fluid and jumbled nature of human cognition. This narrative experimentation marked a significant break from conventional linear storytelling by allowing readers to dive into the inner lives and intricacies of the characters. The Modernist Novel , which became an embodiment of the era’s literary innovation, disrupted traditions and provided a fresh approach to dealing with the human mind.

Read More: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man as a Stream of Consciousness novel

Poetry and Imagism

The Imagism movement, which emerged during the Modern Period, marked a shift in poetry. This movement placed a lot of focus on using clear, vivid language to communicate ideas that are immediate and potent. T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound were two well-known individuals affiliated with Imagism who both made significant contributions to contemporary poetry. In poems like Eliot’s “The Waste Land” and Pound’s “ In a Station of the Metro, ” poets tried to condense complex feelings and concepts into brief, sometimes cryptic verses. The emphasis on concise language and clear imagery marked a change from the extravagant and flowery vocabulary of earlier times. Imagism significantly altered the literary landscape by promoting concision, clarity, and a strong emphasis on the senses—elements that would continue to shape poetry long into the 20th century.

Drama and the Absurdist Movement

The rise of the Absurdist Movement , a genre that explored complex existential concepts and the intrinsic absurdity of human life, defined the dramatic terrain of the Modern Period. This theatrical movement questioned traditional storytelling and frequently featured characters debating life’s pointlessness and futility. Famous playwrights who have made important contributions to this genre include Samuel Beckett and Jean-Paul Sartre. The characters Vladimir and Estragon in Beckett’s famous drama “Waiting for Godot” exemplified the Absurdist ethos by waiting indefinitely for someone who might never arrive, reflecting the human propensity to look for meaning in an apparently meaningless world. The existentialist works of Sartre, such as “No Exit,” questioned the basic nature of human life by examining issues of free will, accountability, and the inescapable gaze of others. The Absurdist Movement had a lasting impression on the theater of the time by compelling audiences to face the absurdity of human nature and existential problems of the modern world.

Political and Dystopian Novels

The modern period encompassed the rise of incisive political and dystopian literature that functioned as sharp criticisms of dictatorship and societal control. Thought-provoking works by authors like George Orwell and Aldous Huxley have had a lasting influence on literature and society. Orwell’s “1984” depicted as a clear warning about the risks of dictatorship by presenting a dystopian society marked by excessive government monitoring and mind control. Huxley’s “Brave New World” examined a different kind of dystopia, one in which an apparently ideal society operated through the repression of individuality and emotion. Both novels offered significant observations on the nature of power and control in the contemporary world as they analyzed the effects of repressive regimes and the erosion of individual liberties. These novels continue to serve as cautionary tales, provoking readers to consider the constant dangers to personal freedom and the possibility for dystopian realities to emerge in the face of unrestrained power.

Read More: Waiting for Godot as an absurd play

Key Themes and Characteristics

The feeling of disintegration and disillusionment, both on an individual and social level, is a recurring theme throughout the Modern Period. This theme illustrates the profound disappointment that World War I caused after it ended. The chaos of the post-war world was often depicted using non-linear storytelling techniques, stream-of-consciousness narration, and fragmented stories. Authors like James Joyce used similar tactics in his masterwork “Ulysses” to convey the fragmented thoughts and experiences of his characters, underlining the confusion and turmoil of the era. The vast societal changes and the broken worldviews of individuals during this volatile period were reflected by the theme of fragmentation and disillusionment. It serves as a moving reminder of the war’s lasting effects and the difficulties involved in finding purpose in a fragmented world.

Alienation and Existentialism

Alienation and existentialism emerged as prominent themes in the literature of the Modern Period. The profound sense of loneliness and the search for purpose in a world that is becoming more complicated and fragmented were themes that authors struggled with. This theme has its origins in the work of existentialists like Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, who proposed that human life is fundamentally meaningless and that people must face this emptiness and construct their own purposes. Literary works like Sartre’s “Nausea” and Camus’s “The Stranger” delved deep into the minds of individuals who struggled with the pointlessness of life and the alienation that frequently accompanied it. By forcing readers to confront the existential abyss and make their own decisions about how to live in what appears to be an absurd world, these works challenged conventional values and belief systems. The examination of the human condition and the quest for meaning in the midst of chaos and uncertainty throughout the Modern Period were fundamentally influenced by alienation and existentialism .

Read More: Seamus Heaney as a modern poet

Cultural Diversity and Identity

The exploration of identity and multiculturalism were two major themes in modernist literature. During this time, there was a growing understanding of the value of honoring cultural diversity and the distinctive experiences of other communities. The Harlem Renaissance , for instance, created a vast body of literature, music, and artwork that praised African American identity and culture. Authors like Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Claude McKay contributed to this cultural movement by examining the difficulties of racial identity and the quest for self-expression in a community characterized by prejudice and discrimination.

Notable Figures of the Modern Period

The Modern Period in English literature was characterized by a group of renowned authors who altered the literary landscape and forever changed the direction of literary history.

In works like “Ulysses,” which examined the complex inner workings of the human mind, James Joyce , a forerunner of Modernist writing, questioned traditional storytelling conventions.

Virginia Woolf , the pioneer of the stream-of-consciousness narrative style, delves into the inner lives of individuals in her novels like “Mrs. Dalloway” and “To the Lighthouse,”.

T.S. Eliot , well known for poems like “The Waste Land,” contributed significantly to poetry with his contemplative and intricate rhymes that captured the era’s disillusionment.

“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald is regarded as a classic American novel that analyses the decadence and moral emptiness of the Jazz Age.

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ENGL 210 A: Medieval and Early Modern Literature, 400 to 1600

English 210 A: Medieval and Early Modern Literature

Mondays and Wednesdays, 9:30-11:20am

Zoom link: Join URL: https://washington.zoom.us/j/94145417332

Dr. Kate Norako

Office: Padelford Hall, A-309

Student Hours: Mondays 3:30-5pm

Email: [email protected]

Course Description:

This course will introduce undergraduate students to Medieval and Early Modern English literature. Students will encounter an array of major works (including Beowulf , Sir Gawain and the Green Knight , Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales , and Macbeth ) but will also study several shorter works that will provide students with a sense of the range and richness of literature written between 400-1600 in England. We will also endeavor as often as possible to place these works in a global context, considering them alongside excerpted works from the premodern Middle East, Africa, India, and Japan among others. While student interest will lead the way in our discussions, we will pay particular attention to the construction of gender in the works that we read, and the way in which these works seem either to affirm or complicate the gender norms and power differentials of their day. We will also look carefully at the ways in which gender and gendered power intersect with representations of religious and cultural difference. Students will be evaluated on their active participation, a series of informal written assignments, and on two formal assignments: an expository/close-reading essay (due at mid-quarter), and a research essay (due at the end of the term).

Course Objectives:

To familiarize students with key works of literature from medieval and early modern England in order to provide background for other studies and a historical understanding of literary development.
To encounter and investigate literature from the distant past in order to inform our understanding of cultural difference, historical development, and alternative ethical and artistic possibilities.
To enhance student’s skills in close/analytical reading, cultural analysis, and collaborative discussions.
To improve and augment student’s expository writing skills.
To improve and augment student’s scholarly research skills.

Required Readings to Purchase:

Beowulf . Translated by Roy Liuzza.

Risala . Ahmad Ibn Fadlan

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight . Trans. James Winny

Macbeth (Norton, 2 nd edition).

Note: You must purchase hard copies of these specific editions. You are also responsible for a series of required readings that will be posted in our course readings folder (under Files in Canvas).

Grade Breakdown:

Participation: 15%

Commonplace Book (Informal Writing): 25%

Mid-Quarter Essay: 20%

Prospectus/Annotated Bib: 5%

Peer Review (Final Essay): 5%

Final Essay: 30%

Participation:

The success of this class hinges on the active engagement and intellectual curiosity of all in attendance. While I will lecture from time to time, the majority of our class meetings will be focused on and driven by student-led inquiry and interest. Your ideas, interests, questions, etc. will be what propels us forward. As a result, you are expected to come to class having read and synthesized the readings for that day, and with the required readings in hand. Come ready to talk and engage with one another!

Attendance: Given that our class will center student-led discussion, it’s imperative that you come to every class meeting on time and prepared to discuss the day’s readings. Failure to attend class regularly will result in a lowered participation grade, so please don’t miss class.

Grading Participation: A 90-100% level participation grade will result from:

clear evidence that the reading has been done, and that the student has amply prepared for in-class discussion. They will come to class with independent ideas about the readings, and having made efforts to critically engage with the material (i.e. synthesis, close-reading, comparative analysis, attention to course themes/central questions). They will come prepared to address any specific questions/issues/prompts from the instructor.
Active engagement in class. This entails not only generating ideas and taking risks (by asking questions and/or offering up ideas-in-progress), but also listening to the ideas of others and engaging accordingly. The A-level participant will be able to advance our discussions in class not only by offering up their own ideas but also by responding directly and thoughtfully to the ideas of others.

How To Succeed In This Class:

Do the readings well in advance! And read deeply and carefully. If necessary, read once to sort out the plot, and read a second time to analyze. (Helpful hint: read a reliable plot summary before reading the text itself to help you along!)
Stay up to date on your commonplace book entries and make sure you follow the instructions carefully. These entries are designed to a) help you hone your close reading skills and b) help you participate as fully as possible in our class meetings.
Communicate with your professor! If you have questions or concerns (about meeting deadlines, managing the reading and writing load, how to research a given topic, what to say about a particular text, etc), get in touch! Office hours are perfect for longer conversations, but I am happy to talk briefly before/after class or (if the questions can be swiftly answered) via email.
Complete all major assignments on time, and pace yourself . Avoid writing your major assignments at the 11 th hour!
Come to class prepared and with all required materials (notebook/laptop, readings due that day). Be ready to discuss and think hard about the readings. And remember: there are many ways to earn full marks on participation.
Stay focused and engaged in class. Participate actively in class discussions, and remember: there are many ways to participate, and that I value all of them. Also, try not to use electronics in class. And if you must use a laptop for taking notes, avoid the temptation to use it for anything unrelated to class. Not only will you be marked as absent if you’re caught using your computer for anything unrelated to class, but your performance in the class will suffer because you’ll be depriving yourself of the opportunity to learn and hone the skills you need to succeed in your formal assignments.
Stay Organized. In the very first week of class, write down all of your deadlines for all of your classes in a calendar. If you notice that, say, you have three major assignments due the same week, figure out what’s feasible, and ask your professors for what you need well in advance. You’re much more likely to have extension requests granted that way and/or are much more likely to do well on each of those assignments/exams.
Write about what you care about and what genuinely piques your curiosity, because the more invested you are, the more enjoyable and worthwhile the writing and thinking will be, and (nearly always) the better the final written work.

Assignments:

(note: these are brief overviews. Detailed prompts for each of these assignments can be found on our Canvas page)

Commonplace Book (informal writing): This journal will be comprised of a series of informal entries that will each invite you to deepen your engagement with our reading material. They will also help you get into the practice of near-daily writing, which will be integral to your success on your formal written assignments. To get full marks for this journal, you need to write an entry in advance of each of our class meetings that reflects careful engagement, analysis, and connection-making between texts. Please see the prompt in Canvas for complete and detailed instructions.

Mid-Quarter Essay (5-7 pages): Students will craft and then respond to a generative question derived from their reading of one of the works covered thus far in the course. This will be an opportunity for you to demonstrate your ability to: construct an arguable thesis , identify and hone a topic that can be effectively addressed in the span of 5-7 pages , close read with care and with awareness of the cultural significance and nuance of the work in question, and compose a deliberately organized essay. Your introduction will provide a clear thesis statement, and each body paragraph will overtly support that central claim through careful attention to the text in question. Your inquiries should either explore issues unaddressed in class or dramatically expand on the ideas brought up therein, thereby providing you with an opportunity to investigate areas of personal interest as well as contribute to our shared understanding of the text(s) in question. This paper is intended to rehearse the processes of critical analysis essential to all humanistic inquiry.

Final Research Essay (8-10 pages): This essay builds off of the mid-quarter essay and invites you to hone your close reading, writing, and research skills in light of the feedback you received. You will be asked to write another analytic response to one of the works we’ve thus far in the quarter (focused once more on a particular topic, theme, character, passage, etc.), but this time you must engage with secondary scholarship, citing no fewer than five secondary sources. This essay, in other words, requires you to do independent research, and all of these outside sources must be peer-reviewed and scholarly (more on that in the full assignment prompt). The complete prompt and rubric will be available at least a month before this essay is due.

Other Policies and Notes of Import:

On Technology in the Classroom: I do not, as a rule, ban the use of electronic devices in class. However, I ask that all students remember to be respectful of their peers and refrain from using their electronic devices for anything aside from our work in the classroom (i.e. no Facebook, game playing, etc – that kind of engagement is profoundly distracting to those around you). It is very obvious when students are surfing the web/watching movies/playing games/checking Facebook, and students who do so will get a zero for participation for that class meeting.

On Canvas: Our class portal will be the predominate way in which you’ll keep up to date on course announcements, and is also where you will gain access to supplementary course materials. All secondary readings will be found there, as well as additional resources on Middle English pronunciation and the like. All assignment prompts will be posted there as well, and unless otherwise stated, all formal written assignments will be submitted to Canvas, and all feedback from me will be found there as well.

Email and Student/Office hours : If you have a question that can be answered in 1-2 sentences, please feel free to send an email, and I will respond as soon as possible (if you email me over the weekend, expect a response no earlier than noon on Monday). If your questions require a lengthy response, please bring them to me during office hours. If my office hours conflict with your class schedule, contact me and we will find an alternate time/way to meet. Please note that I am committed to checking email at least once a day on weekdays, and ask that all of you make the same commitment.

On Plagiarism: The Student Conduct Code defines plagiarism as follows:

“Plagiarism, . . . is the submission or presentation of someone else’s words, composition, research, or expressed ideas, whether published or unpublished, without attribution. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

The use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment; or
The unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or acquired from an entity engaging in the selling of term papers or other academic materials.”

If plagiarism is suspected, a student will be asked to meet with me, and the following general rules/procedures will apply:

For minor infractions (1-2 missing citations, failure to use quotation marks in 1-2 instances, clear evidence that plagiarism was accidental, etc):
Option either to revise and earn up to 75% for the assignment in question; or to abandon the assignment. Final grade will be an average of the rest of the assignments in the course.
Possible reporting of said student to the Dean’s Representative for Academic Conduct
For major infractions (i.e. numerous plagiarized passages, clear evidence that the essay was written by someone else and/or stolen or purchased wholesale)
Automatic zero for the assignment.
No option for revision of said assignment.
Automatic reporting of said student to the Dean’s Representative for Academic Conduct.

The bottom line: Do not plagiarize! It is never, ever worth it, and it is shockingly easy to detect. I take plagiarism very seriously because I believe strongly in the value of the work I’ve assigned you. I want you to learn and grow through the work that I’m asking you to do in this class, and that learning and growth will not happen if you take the work of another person and pass it off as your own.

Access and Accommodations: It is very important to me that all students are able to thrive in this classroom environment. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please communicate your approved accommodations to me at your earliest convenience so we can discuss your needs in this course.

If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to: mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), you are welcome to contact DRS at 206-543-8924 or [email protected] or disability.uw.edu. (Links to an external site.) DRS offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities and/or temporary health conditions. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, your instructor(s) and DRS. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law.

On DACA : The University of Washington strives to provide a safe, secure, and welcoming environment that protects the privacy and human rights of everyone in our community. UW’s longstanding policies do not permit immigration officials to enter UW classrooms or residence halls without a court order, and I will not share any information about a student’s immigration status. For guidance regarding immigration status, please consult the following resource through Leadership Across Borders ( http://depts.washington.edu/ecc/lwb/ ) and the following through the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity ( https://www.washington.edu/omad/files/2017/09/DACA-FAQ-Document.pdf) . You can also email [email protected] with questions and concerns.

On Religious Accomodations: “Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/) . Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/) .”

On Our Classroom Environment: Our classroom will be radically inclusive, open to ideas, questions, and debates born out of genuine curiosity and rooted in a desire for knowledge and intellectual growth. It will be a space for rigorous and deep discourse, and it will be a space that actively resists any and all racism, classism, homophobia, transphobia, religious intolerance, and misogyny.

COURSE SCHEDULE




March 30th	Introduction to the Course	The syllabus! Commonplace book instructions Mid-quarter essay instructions	By Friday of this week, create your google doc Commonplace Book and share the link in the relevant Canvas forum. Remember to grant Dr. Norako edit access so that she can leave comments, and bear in mind that you will periodically be asked to grant said access to your peers in order to engage with their entries (this will always occur in class).

April 4th	Intro to Early Medieval English Literature and Culture	Introduction to the Exeter Book Elegies “The Wanderer” “The Wife’s Lament” “The Dream of the Rood” (CANVAS) Greenblatt’s essay “Culture” (CANVAS)	Commonplace Book Entry 1
April 6th	Beowulf Discussion of 1 Essay	, pgs 49-87 Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, “Seven Theses” (from ) (CANVAS)	Commonplace Book Entry 2

April 11th	Beowulf, Part II Discussion of 1 Essay	, 87-145 UNC Writing Center: Argument	Commonplace Book Entry 3 Commonplace Book Entry 4: Write a paragraph (5-7 sentences) that describes your paper topic and working argument for Essay 1. (Bring a copy of this to class)
April 13th	Beowulf in Context The Risala of Ahmad Ibn Fadlan	Beowulf (review) Toni Morrison, “Grendel and His Mother” The Risala, Ibn Fadlan (tbd excerpts)	Commonplace Entry 5






April 18th	The Old English Judith The Poetry of Wallada	Review Arab Chronicler accounts and Beowulf (will continue discussion for first bit of class) Judith Excerpts from Wallada’s poetry (CANVAS)	Commonplace Entry 6
April 20th	On Monsters, Men, and Women in Medieval Romance	“Wulf and Eadwacer” (CANVAS) (CANVAS) Victoria Blud’s article “Wolves’ Heads and Wolves’ Tales” (CANVAS)	Commonplace Book Entry 7: Focus this entry on Blud’s article. Identify her Thesis/central argument, and comment on the structure and approach that she takes. What kinds of things does she use to support her claims? How does the structure of her article (the order in which she discusses each sub-topic) help make her argument and its stakes clear? Commonplace Book entry 8: in one paragraph (5-10 sentences), reflect on your essay writing for midquarter. What is your thesis? What has gone well? What do you need to work on?

April 25th		(Fitts 1 and 2)	Commonplace Book Entry 9
April 27th		(Fitt 3)	Commonplace Book Entry 10
FRIDAY April 29th

May 2nd	SGGK in Context	(Fitt 4) Excerpts from	Commonplace Book Entry 11 (special instructions): Go to the UW library website and search for a scholarly article on SGGK. Search not only for the text but for keywords that are relevant to your interests (i.e. ecocriticism, gender, women, masculinity, monsters, Otherness etc.). Read the article, and identify both its central claim and the main ways in which it supports that claim. Write and reflect on this article and its relation to your own reading of the text. Do you agree/disagree? Has this article made you reassess certain aspects of the text? Commonplace Book Entry 12: Write a list of 3-5 potential topics for your final essay. Have these ready to discuss in class.
May 4th	Women Mystics and Saints: Margery Kempe in Context	Broadview Excerpts of the of Margery Kempe and The Shewings of Julian of Norwich (CANVAS) Poems by Laldyada (CANVAS)	Commonplace Book Entry 13

May 9th	Chaucer’s Wife of Bath	The Wife of Bath’s description, “The Wife of Bath’s Prologue,” ; Emma Lipton’s “Love and Marriage in The Wife of Bath’s Prologue” (CANVAS) Excerpts from	Commonplace Book Entry 14
May 11th		“The Wife of Bath’s Tale” (CANVAS); Carissa Harris’ “Rape and Justice in the Wife of Bath’s Tale” (CANVAS) Debate Preparation: Instructions TBD	Commonplace Book Entry 15 Additional Homework for in class debate: Come to class with any/all evidence in support of your “team’s” argument

May 16th	Chaucer’s Man of Law’s Tale; Chaucer, Prioress’s Tale	The Man of Law’s Prologue + Tale Excerpts from the Kebra Nagast. Optional but strongly recommended: Cord Whitaker “Race and Racism in ” (CANVAS)	Commonplace Entry 16: Man of Law/Kebra Nagast Commonplace Entry 17: Prioress’s Tale/Medieval Hebrew Literature
May 18th	The Early Modern Pamphlet Wars: Jane Anger an Rachel Speight	Early Modern Reader I (CANVAS)	Commonplace Entry 18
May 20th

May 23rd	Macbeth	Macbeth, Acts I-III	Commonplace Book Entry 19
May 25th	Macbeth, cont’d	Act IV and V Peer Review I	Commonplace entry 20

May 30th
June 1st	Early Modern Poetry Course Conclusions Course Evaluations	Early Modern Reader III (CANVAS)	Commonplace Book 22: Reflect on what you have learned this quarter, both in terms of course content and in terms of writing/reading skills. What do you think you will take from this class and apply to future endeavors?
June 3rd

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Graduate Studies in A&S

Early Modern Literature

The literature we study came from a world of social and cultural upheavals -- a Reformation of church government and religious doctrine, a sudden extension of military capabilities and commercial engagements, a Civil War that splintered the nation, revolutions in scientific knowledge and method, a gradual rise in literacy among men and women and a surge in the consumption of printed books and images. Writers provoked and advanced these changes, sometimes admiring and sometimes recoiling. Like our colleagues who work in other literary periods, we study the relations of great (and not so great) works of art from a variety of perspectives: literature and subjectivity, literature as a form of spiritual expression and as an instrument of spiritual self-discipline, literature in relation to hierarchies of gender, ethnicity, age, religious affiliation, and social status. But we have some distinctive interests as well: in the special way that Early Modern writers sought to influence royal politics, in the tangled involvement of writers in an exploding book culture, in literary reflections on political theory, in the contributions of book, pamphlet, and play to cultures of both dissent and desire.

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Early Modern Studies: Introduction

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Latin America
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This guide has been developed as a general introduction to resources in the certificate of Early Modern Studies . Early Modern describes the period roughly spanning the 14th century to the 18th century. Each of the above sections highlights suggestions and resources specific to each subject category, which provides a starting point from which you can begin your research according to your information needs . This is not a comprehensive listing of sources, but rather a starting point from which you can begin your research according to your information needs.

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American Literature

A survey of American writers from the beginning to the Civil War to the present day; includes literary analysis and writing about literature.

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This course is a survey of American Literature from 1650 through 1820. …

This course is a survey of American Literature from 1650 through 1820. It covers Early American and Puritan Literature, Enlightenment Literature, and Romantic Literature. It teaches in the context of American History and introduces the student to literary criticism and research.

American Literature I: An Anthology of Texts From Early America Through the Civil War

This book offers an anthology of texts that includes letters, journals, poetry, …

This book offers an anthology of texts that includes letters, journals, poetry, newspaper articles, pamphlets, sermons, narratives, and short fiction written in and about America beginning with collected oral stories from Native American tribes and ending with the poetry of Emily Dickinson. Many major and minor authors are included, providing a sampling of the different styles, topics, cultures, and concerns present during the formation and development of America through the mid-nineteenth century.

This course studies the national literature of the United States since the …

This course studies the national literature of the United States since the early 19th century. It considers a range of texts - including, novels, essays, and poetry - and their efforts to define the notion of American identity. Readings usually include works by such authors as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, Frederick Douglass, Emily Dickinson, and Toni Morrison.

The ĺÎĺ_ĺĚĄ_American Renaissance,ĺÎĺ_ĺĚĺÎĺ a period of tremendous literary activity that took place …

The ĺÎĺ_ĺĚĄ_American Renaissance,ĺÎĺ_ĺĚĺÎĺ a period of tremendous literary activity that took place in America between the 1830s and 1860s represents the cultivation of a distinctively American literature. The student will begin this course by looking at what it was in American culture and society that led to the dramatic outburst of literary creativity in this era. The student will then explore some of the periodĺÎĺ_ĺĚĺ_s most famous works, attempting to define the emerging American identity represented in this literature. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: discriminate among the key economic, technological, social, and cultural transformations underpinning the American Renaissance; define the transformations in American Protestantism exemplified by the second Great Awakening and transcendentalism; list the key tenets of transcendentalism and relate them to romanticism more broadly and to social and cultural developments in the antebellum United States; analyze EmersonĺÎĺ_ĺĚĺ_s place in defining transcendentalism and his key differences from other transcendentalists; analyze competing conceptualizations of poetry and its construction and purpose, with particular attention to Poe, Emerson, and Whitman; define the formal innovations of Dickinson and their relationship to her central themes; describe the emergence of the short story as a form, with reference to specific stories by Hawthorne and Poe; distinguish among forms of the novel, with reference to specific works by Hawthorne, Thompson, and Fern; analyze the ways that writers such as Melville, Brownson, Davis, and Thoreau saw industrialization and capitalism as a threat to U. S. society; develop the relationship between ThoreauĺÎĺ_ĺĚĺ_s interest in nature and his political commitments and compare and contrast his thinking with Emerson and other transcendentalists; analyze the different ways that sentimentalism constrained and empowered women writers to critique gender conventions, with reference to specific works by writers such as Fern, Alcott, and Stowe; define the ways that the slavery question influenced major texts and major controversies over literature during this period. This free course may be completed online at any time. (English Literature 405)

Becoming America: An Exploration of American Literature from Precolonial to Post-Revolution

The University of North Georgia Press and Affordable Learning Georgia bring you …

The University of North Georgia Press and Affordable Learning Georgia bring you Becoming America: An Exploration of American Literature from Precolonial to Post-Revolution. Featuring sixty-nine authors and full texts of their works, the selections in this open anthology represent the diverse voices in early American literature. This completely-open anthology will connect students to the conversation of literature that is embedded in American history and has helped shaped its culture.

DALA Digital American Literature Anthology

The Digital American Literature Anthology is a free, online textbook that surveys …

The Digital American Literature Anthology is a free, online textbook that surveys American literature from its beginnings to the early twentieth century. It is available in multiple digital formats, though specifically designed for tablets, laptops, and e-readers. The textbook has links to unit introductions, and multiple supplemental online resources.

Great Writers Inspire presents an illuminating collection of Emily Dickinson resources curated …

Great Writers Inspire presents an illuminating collection of Emily Dickinson resources curated by specialists at the University of Oxford. It includes audio and video lectures and short talks, downloadable electronic texts and eBooks, and background contextual resources.

Great Writers Inspire: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Great Writers Inspire presents an illuminating collection of F. Scott Fitzgerald resources …

Great Writers Inspire presents an illuminating collection of F. Scott Fitzgerald resources curated by specialists at the University of Oxford. It includesdownloadable electronic texts and eBooks, and background contextual resources.

Great Writers Inspire presents an illuminating collection of Walt Whitman resources curated …

Great Writers Inspire presents an illuminating collection of Walt Whitman resources curated by specialists at the University of Oxford. It includes downloadable electronic texts and eBooks, and background contextual resources.

Major Authors: After the Masterpiece: Novels by Melville, Twain, Faulkner, and Morrison, Fall 2006

This seminar provides intensive study of exciting texts by four influential American …

This seminar provides intensive study of exciting texts by four influential American authors. In studying paired works, we can enrich our sense of each author's distinctive methods, get a deeper sense of the development of their careers, and shake up our preconceptions about what makes an author or a work "great." Students will get an opportunity to research an author in depth, as well as making broader comparisons across the syllabus.

Masterworks in American Short Fiction, Fall 2005

Close study of a limited group of writers. Instruction and practice in …

Close study of a limited group of writers. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication. Topic for Fall: Willa Cather. Topic for Spring: Oscar Wilde and the 90s.

This anthology is divided into five major sections, starting with the Colonial …

This anthology is divided into five major sections, starting with the Colonial period and ending with the publication of Harriet Jacobs’s Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl on the eve of the Civil War. Each section includes an overview and framework for approaching the readings, as well as overarching questions to help students think about the connections between the texts. There is also a brief introduction to each of the authors featured in these sections, followed by discussion questions based on the texts. The textual introductions do not include a great deal of biographical material; instead, I have used them to provide a frame (typically connected to the larger section introduction) that I hope will help students to navigate from. The discussion questions could also easily be used as open-ended exam questions or as essay prompts. Some of the discussion questions are also invitations for students to make intertextual connections, or to consider how the literary landscape changes from its “beginnings” to the Civil War.

Table of Contents: Introduction I. Colonial America’s Literary Beginnings William Bradford Thomas Morton John Winthrop Roger Williams Anne Bradstreet Nathaniel Hawthorne Henry David Thoreau II. Native American Contact Zones Cabeza de Vaca Bartolomé de las Casas John Smith Mary Rowlandson Cotton Mather David Cusick The Cherokee Memorials William Apes Black Hawk Washington Irving III. Revolution, Liberty, and Founding Figures Phyllis Wheatley John and Abigail Adams Thomas Jefferson Benjamin Franklin IV. The Age of Reform Herman Melville Ralph Waldo Emmerson Henry David Thoreau Fanny Fern Lydia Marie Childs V. Slave Narratives Fredrick Douglass Harriet Jacobs VI. Added Chapters William Cullen Bryant Caroline Kirkland Walt Whitman Source Materials

The Open Anthology of Earlier American Literature

An OER Anthology of Earlier American Literature to 1899

The Renewable Anthology of Early American Literature

Public domain Early American Literature. Table of Contents: I. JOHN SMITH II. …

Public domain Early American Literature.

Table of Contents:

I. JOHN SMITH II. WILLIAM BRADFORD III. JOHN WINTHROP IV. MARY ROWLANDSON V. ANNE BRADSTREET VI. SARAH KEMBLE KNIGHT VII. JONATHAN EDWARDS VIII. PONTIAC IX. SAMSON OCCOM X. THOMAS PAINE XI. THOMAS JEFFERSON XII. JOHN ADAMS and ABIGAIL ADAMS XIII. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN XIV. J. HECTOR ST. JOHN DE CREVECOEUR XV. OLAUDAH EQUIANO XVI. PHILLIS WHEATLEY XVII. WASHINGTON IRVING XVIII. JAMES FENIMORE COOPER XIX. RALPH WALDO EMERSON XX. HENRY DAVID THOREAU XXI. NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE XXII. EDGAR ALLAN POE XXIII. HERMAN MELVILLE XXIV. HARRIET BEECHER STOWE XXV. FREDERICK DOUGLASS XXVI. WALT WHITMAN XXVII. EMILY DICKINSON

Writing the Nation: A Concise Introduction to American Literature 1865 to Present

Writing the Nation: A Concise Guide to American Literature 1865 to Present …

Writing the Nation: A Concise Guide to American Literature 1865 to Present is a text that surveys key literary movements and the American authors associated with the movement. Topics include late romanticism, realism, naturalism, modernism, and modern literature.

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

Margo Hendricks

Nearly thirty years ago, a small group of Black, Indigenous, Brown, and Asian scholars working in “Renaissance English Literature” challenged the idea that race was unimportant before the “Enlightenment.” The insertion of race, racism, and race-making as a defining element in constructing universalities based on whiteness, settler colonialist and colonialist ideologies, and anti-Blackness was deemed unnecessary and anachronistic. The construction of a historical past within and around early modern English history ignored the presence of non-white peoples or insisted the numbers were too negligible to matter. Of course, as we’ve come to learn, the Past is never as obvious as it may appear on the surface, especially when one is removed from said histories by centuries, geographic spaces, and a techno-global economy burdened by the ideologies and systems of racial capitalism.

It is not an understatement to say writing about “race” in relation to early modern English literature and its Past was a challenge. Yet, a theoretical and critical practice emerged that fundamentally altered twentieth-century scholarly writings about early modern English culture. Premodern Critical Race Studies (PCRS) insisted on the intersectionality of race-making, gender, sexuality, and class in the early modern English cultural representation of itself. From the start, PCRS concerned itself with the literary, visual, performative, social, and cultural moments of racism and recalibrations of race-making necessitated by the advent of early modern imperialism, early modern white settler colonialism, and the ideological use of anti-Blackness and anti-Indigenous representations. Indebted to Critical Race Theory and Black feminism for its theoretical foundations, PCRS recognized and continues to recognize the importance of attending to the usage and circulation of texts local to a specific culture and temporality while questioning the idea of their universality.

From this theoretical and critical intervention, the collection of essays in this anthology emerges as next gen PCRS . The authors strategically explore the relationship between “affect” and “race” in early modern texts such as William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream , Thomas Heywood’s Fair Maid of the West , Edmund Spenser’s The Faire Queene, or Philip Massinger’s The Renegado — texts that circulate in classrooms, on the stage, and in publications. In the aftermath of the murders of Black men in the United States, the rampant rise of fascism across the globe, the indifference on the part of white-centric governments primarily in Europe and the United States toward indigenous peoples around the world in the advent of the coronavirus, and deadly misogynist assaults on LGTBTIA people, these authors brilliantly demonstrate why, even in the twenty-first century, continued attention must be paid to early modern English literary texts and their role in race-making.

Often, we cannot be sure a book will have an impact beyond a small coterie. Can and will Race and Affect in Early Modern English Literature have an effect? The answer is yes. The authorial voices here represent a fundamental sea change. These are the descendants of that small band of intrepid scholars who insisted on the study of race, racism, and race-making in early modern English culture. These voices complement and carry forward the need for critique, interrogation, and revolutionary thinking about the Past and its histories — both as affect and effect. Race and Affect in Early Modern English Literature is the collective resistance of an emerging generation of Premodern Critical Race scholars and scholarship to a field rooted in racism, homophobia, misogyny, and classism. With these profound and intuitive readings, this collection reminds us that affect is central to race-making.

Race and Affect in Early Modern English Literature Copyright © 2022 by Margo Hendricks is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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10. Appendix

1. reading and writing about literature, 2. the beginning of american literature, 3. american legends, 4. american allegory, 5. american pastoral, 6. american drama, 7. american poetry in the 1920s, 8. modern american poetry, 9. modern american fiction, introduction to literature.

Introduction to Literature: A course of study that includes lectures, discussion topics, writing lessons, links to literature, and assignments. Although designed to be taught in sequence, each section can also be used on its own.

Reading and Writing about Literature

The Beginning of American Literature

American Legends

American Allegory

American Pastoral

American Drama

American Poetry in the 1920s

Modern American Poetry

Modern American Fiction

IMAGES

English 229: Introduction to Modern Literature:
Early Modern Literature in History
Early Modern Literature in History: Writing Early Modern London: Memory
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Readings in Early Modern Literature
(DOC) Modern Literature (1900-1961

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Interview of a woman with a 'wealth of life experience'. ( Jerly Biju by Siddharth Kambhampati )
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ENG401 Introduction to Literature Assignment Spring 2024 Virtual University of Pakistan
Poem Recital: The Kingdom of Kindness (Group 3-Introduction to literature)
From Elements to Styles: Pedagogical Strategies for Digital Editing and Publication
Professor Clare McManus

COMMENTS

Introduction to Early Modern Literature Flashcards
a rose exposed to the elements. According to "Make it New": Early Modernism, which work by T.S. Eliot was the basis of a popular Broadway musical? Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Rose, harsh rose, marred and with stint of petals, meagre flower, thin, sparse of leaf, more ...
Introduction to Early Modern Literature Flashcards
a windy and dangerous storm. a beautiful and bountiful rose. a rose exposed to the elements. Correct Answer - a rose exposed to the elements. Read the poem "The Garret," by Ezra Pound. COME let us pity those who are better off than we are. Come, my friend, and remember. that the rich have butlers and no friends, And we have friends and no butlers.
Introduction to Early Modern Literature Flashcards
Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Read the stanza from "The Garret," by Ezra Pound.Dawn enters with little feet like a gilded Pavlova,And I am near my desire.Nor has life in it aught betterThan this hour of clear coolness, the hour of waking together.The imagery in these lines suggest that, Read the poem "The ...
The Early Modern Period
The Early Modern Period of English literature began in roughly 1485, around the time the Tudor Dynasty came into control of England. Following a victory in the War of the Roses, Henry Tudor assumed the throne as Henry VII and married Elizabeth York. The introduction of the printing press in 1476 led to an emphasis on the English language and a ...
Early Modern Literature: Themes, Texts, and Contexts: 1500-1660
interpretation of other early modern texts as well as texts from other historical periods • be able to write fluent and informed essays on the texts covered Module Outline: 1 Introduction (EV, MS) Prose 2 William Tyndale, Obedience of the Christian Man (MS) 3 New World: Thomas More, Utopia and Francis Bacon, New Atlantis (MS) Poetry
PDF Introduction to Early Modern English Literature
Introduction to Early Modern English Literature. ... dynamics, assignments and assessment (percentages, essay writing, exam). Emphasis is ... Introduction to Early Modern English Literature. A course in 28 sessions 5 READINGS OF THE DAY Henry Howard (1516/1517-1547), "The Soote Season" (pp. 570-571), "Love, that Doth ...
Renaissance and reformations : an introduction to early modern English
vii, 253 pages : 24 cm "Designed for both students and general readers, this introduction to Renaissance and Reformation literature offers a description of early modern habits of writing and reading, of publication and stage performance.
Introduction to Literature Assignments
Length of assignment: 250-350 words. Assignment: Select a poem from the list below. Read it several times to determine the "voice" or "speaker" of the poem. Write a 250-350 journal in which you explain how the poet intentionally creates a distinct speaker or voice in the poem, separate from that of the poet.
PDF Introduction: making early modern science and literature
early modern imaginative ﬁction: narrative poetry, prose romance and utopia, as well as the poetic theory of these genres.5 What these texts demonstrate is that early modern science is practiced as an art and, at the same time, that imaginative literature provides a form for producing knowledge. Within this framework, literary texts become ...
Introduction
Following The Cambridge History of Medieval English Literature edited by David Wallace (1999), this collaborative volume of twenty-six chapters in five Parts narrates the history of English literature written in Britain between the Reformation and the Restoration. The Cambridge History of Early Modern English Literature takes account of significant recent discoveries and methodological ...
Teaching Early Modern English Literature from the Archives
The volume discusses a range of physical and virtual archives from 1473 to 1700 that are useful in the teaching of early modern literature—both major sources and rich collections that are less known (including affordable or free options for those with limited institutional resources). ... Introduction (1) Heidi Brayman Hackel and Ian ...
Modern Period in English Literature : Thinking Literature
Explore the vibrant evolution of English literature in the Modern Period. Discover groundbreaking works, influential authors, and the cultural shifts that shaped this dynamic era. From the early 20th century to the present day, delve into the literary movements, themes, and innovations that continue to captivate readers and scholars alike.
ENGL 210 A Spring 2022
This course will introduce undergraduate students to Medieval and Early Modern English literature. Students will encounter an array of major works (including Beowulf , Sir Gawain and the Green Knight , Chaucer's Canterbury Tales , and Macbeth ) but will also study several shorter works that will provide students with a sense of the range and ...
Early Modern Literature
Early Modern Literature. The literature we study came from a world of social and cultural upheavals -- a Reformation of church government and religious doctrine, a sudden extension of military capabilities and commercial engagements, a Civil War that splintered the nation, revolutions in scientific knowledge and method, a gradual rise in literacy among men and women and a surge in the ...
Early Modern Studies: Introduction
Early Modern describes the period roughly spanning the 14th century to the 18th century. Each of the above sections highlights suggestions and resources specific to each subject category, which provides a starting point from which you can begin your research according to your information needs .
Assignments
The assignments in this course are openly licensed, and are available as-is, or can be modified to suit your students' needs. If you import this course into your learning management system (Blackboard, Canvas, etc.), the assignments will automatically be loaded into the assignment tool. You can preview them below: Study Guides for thousands ...
Teaching Audience through Early Modern Literature
Early modern humanist oratory—based on Cicero's formula for well-structured arguments and popularized by the sixteenth-century pedagogue Peter Ramus —follows a strict formula. This formula is an incredible teaching tool for understanding the rhetorical triangle as well as a kind of basis for the now-popular five-paragraph essay.
The Cambridge Introduction to Early American Literature
Product filter button Description Contents Resources Courses About the Authors Presenting a literary history of American writing (from 1492 to 1820) and a concise social and cultural history, Emory Elliott traces the impact of race, gender, and ethnic conflict on early American culture.
Literary modernism
Modernist literature originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is characterised by a self-conscious separation from traditional ways of writing in both poetry and prose fiction writing.Modernism experimented with literary form and expression, as exemplified by Ezra Pound's maxim to "Make it new." This literary movement was driven by a conscious desire to overturn traditional ...
American Literature
The University of North Georgia Press and Affordable Learning Georgia bring you Becoming America: An Exploration of American Literature from Precolonial to Post-Revolution. Featuring sixty-nine authors and full texts of their works, the selections in this open anthology represent the diverse voices in early American literature.
Foreword
Race and Affect in Early Modern English Literature is the collective resistance of an emerging generation of Premodern Critical Race scholars and scholarship to a field rooted in racism, homophobia, misogyny, and classism. With these profound and intuitive readings, this collection reminds us that affect is central to race-making.
Introduction
The book seeks to consolidate recent gains and impose order on the field of study as a whole. It aims to define American literature in terms of both language and geography. The Introduction describes the various parts of the book that follow. The work focuses on major authors and different literary genres.
Introduction to Literature
Modern American Fiction Download. Introduction to Literature. Overview. Introduction to Literature: A course of study that includes lectures, discussion topics, writing lessons, links to literature, and assignments. Although designed to be taught in sequence, each section can also be used on its own. Section 1.

The Early Modern Period

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Modern Period in English Literature

Historical and Cultural Background

Literature of the Modern Period

Poetry and Imagism

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Political and Dystopian Novels

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Alienation and Existentialism

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