ENGLISH
336: LITERATURE AND CULTURE OF THE
RENAISSANCE
Fall Semester, 2000. David Mycoff
Required Texts
The Norton Anthology of English Literature,
7th ed. Volume 1B: The
Sixteenth Century/ The Early Seventeenth Century. Norton. ISBN 0-393-97566-5.
Julia Briggs, This Stage-Play World. 2nd
ed. Oxford University Press. ISBN 019289286X
The Revenger’s Tragedy. Norton, ISBN 0393900606.
Basic Requirements
Punctual and
faithful attendance
Punctual
completion of all assigned readings
Midterm and final
tests
Formal papers:
Students have the option of writing three five-page papers or one five-page and
one ten-page paper.
Grades
Midterm test 20%
Final test 20%
Papers: Option One -- each five-page paper is worth
20%
Option Two – the five-page paper is worth 20% and the ten-page
paper 40%
Paper Deadlines
Students will set
their own deadlines for papers and inform me in writing of their deadlines by
the end of the third week of class.
There are, however, a few restrictions.
At least one paper must be submitted before Fall Break. There must be at least two weeks between the
deadlines of your papers. All papers
must be submitted before the
beginning of Week
15.
I am happy to discuss drafts of papers
with students who wish to do so, though I must receive the draft at least one
week before the paper is due, and students must set up an appointment with me
to discuss the draft at the time that they submit the draft.
ENGLISH 336: LITERATURE AND CULTURE OF THE RENAISSANCE
FALL SEMESTER, 2000. DAVID MYCOFF
SYLLABUS OF DAILY ASSIGNMENTS.
Unless otherwise
noted, page numbers refer to the Norton Anthology text.
This syllabus is
subject to changes announced in class.
I will
occasionally add supplemental materials, mostly short texts or images from
various internet sites or music selections played in class.
The course is
divided into four units: English
Renaissance Humanism in Context; English Renaissance Epic: Spenser’s Faerie Queene; Drama of the
English Renaissance; Forms of the Lyric in English Renaissance Poetry.
WEEK ONE
M 21 August. Introduction
to the course.
Unit One: English Renaissance Humanism in Context
W 23.
Briggs, This Stage-Play World, Preface, pp.
v-xiii, Chps. 1-3, pp. 1-78. “Homily Against
Willful Rebellion, Norton Anthology, 556-8;
Hooker, selections from Laws of
Ecclesiastical Polity, 558-63; Queen Elizabeth I, “The Golden Speech,”
598-600; Aemilia Lanyer, “Eve’s Apology in Defense of Women,” 1285-87; Margaret
Cavendish, prose selections, 1762-71.
F 25.
Briggs, Chp. 4-5.
Pp. 79-135. More, selections from Utopia, 503-23; selections from travel
literature, 885-7 and 889-906.
WEEK TWO
M 28.
Selections from
Marsilio Ficino, handout or reserves.
W 30.
Selections of
Renaissance music.
WEEK THREE
M 4 September. Briggs, Chp.
6-7 pp. 136-202. Ascam, selections,
563-6; Tyndale, selections, 542-4; Calvin, selections, 544-7; Examination of
Ann Askew, 547-550; selection from Foxe, Acts
and Monuments, 551-3.
W 6.
Donne, prose
selections, 1276-81; Browne, prose selections, 569-82.
F 8.
Briggs, Chp. 8, pp.
203-249. Selections from Hoby’s
translation of Castiglione, 577-93.
WEEK FOUR
M 11.
Sidney, Defense of Poesy, 937-54.
Unit Two: English Renaissance
Epic: Spenser’s Faerie Queene
W 13.
Spenser, The Faerie Queene, Preface and Bk. I,
Cantos 1-3, pp. 622-62.
WEEK FIVE
M 18. Faerie Queene, Bk.I, Cantos 4-6, pp. 662-98.
W 20. Faerie Queene, Bk.I, Cantos 7-10, pp. 698-750.
F 22. Faerie Queene, Bk.I, Cantos 11-12 , pp. 750-72.
Unit Three: Drama of the English Renaissance
WEEK SIX
M 25.
Briggs, Chp. 9 and
Conclusion, pp. 250-1105. Nashe, “Defense of Plays,” 1202-4.
W 27.
Marlowe, Doctor Faustus, 990-1025.
WEEK SEVEN
M 2 October. Faustus, continued.
Shakespeare, Twelfth Night,
1043-1105.
W 4.
Twelfth Night,
continued. Jonson, Volpone, 1303-1393.
F 6.
Volpone, continued.
WEEK EIGHT
M 9.
Cary, The Tragedy of Mariam, 1509-27.
W 11.
Midterm Test.
MIDTERM BREAK
WEEK NINE
M 23. Webster, The Duchess of
Malfi, 1433-1507.
W 25.
Duchess, continued. The
Revenger’s Tragedy.
F 27. Revenger’s Tragedy, continued.
WEEK TEN
M 30.
Shakespeare, King Lear, 1106-95.
W 1 November. Lear, continued.
WEEK ELEVEN
M 6. Lear, continued.
Unit Four: Forms of the Lyric in English Renaissance
Poetry
W 8.
Burton, selection
from The Anatomy of Melancholy,
1560-9. Mycoff, excerpts from the Introduction to Sir Philip Sydney’s Astrophil and Stella: A Modern-Spelling Edition:
“Philosophical Traditions: Renaissance Platonism” and “The Poetic
Traditions” (electronic text. Go to my
webpage at http://www.warren-wilson.edu/~dmycoff, scroll down to the Links
Menu. The last two items are the
assigned readings). Wyatt, “The long
love that in my thought doth harbor” and “Whoso list to hunt,” 527. Surrey, “The soote season,” 570-1, and
“Love, that doth reign and live within my thought,” 571. Spenser, sonnets from Amoretti, 864-68.
F 10.
Sidney, sonnets
from Astrophil and Stella,
917-31. Musical settings of Sidney’s
poetry.
WEEK TWELVE
M 13.
Shakespeare,
selected sonnets, 1029-72. Wroth,
selections from Pamphilia to Amphilanthus,
1428-32. Donne, selections from Holy Sonnets, 1268-72. Milton, selected
sonnets, 1812-15.
W 15.
Musical settings to
various Renaissance lyrics.
WEEK THIRTEEN
M 20.
Jonson, “On
Something. That Walks Somewhere,” 1394; “On My First Daughter,” 1394-5; “To
John Donne,” 1395; “Inviting a Friend to Supper,” 1398-9.
W 22.
No class. Thanksgiving Break.
F
24. No class. Thanksgiving
Break.
WEEK FOURTEEN
M 27.
Jonson, “To
Penshurst,” 1399-1401; selections from “A Celebration of Charis,” 1403-8; “To
the Memory of … Shakespeare…” 1414-16.
W 29.
Donne, poems,
1233-62 and “Good Friday, 1613. Riding Westward,” 1272-73.
WEEK FIFTEEN
M 4 December. Donne poems,
continued, and musical settings.
W 6.
Herbert, “Easter
Wings,” 1599; “The Collar,” 1609-10; “The Pulley,” 1610. Vaughan, “They Are All Gone into the World
of Light,” 1624-5.
F 8.
Marvell, “To His
Coy Mistress,” 1691-92 and “The
Garden,” 1698-1700.
WEEK SIXTEEN
M 11.
Crashaw, “The
Flaming Heart,” 1640-3. Carew, “ A
Rapture,” 1661-64. Herrick, “Corinna’s
Going a-Maying” and “To the Virgins,” 1648-50.
W 13. Final Examination.