Introduction to British Literature 1

Introduction to British Literature 1

Times

Wed 6-8 pm and Mon 6-7 pm or 7-8 pm

Instructor Information

C. Balot

E-mail: carroll.balot@utoronto.ca

Course Description

A survey of major works of English literature from Beowulf to Milton’s Paradise Lost, emphasizing movements and periods, formal analysis, and the development of a national literary tradition. Throughout the course we will explore the following topics: (1) Aesthetics: fictiveness, semblance, play, and form (2) History: continuity and change, representations of nature, and modernity (3) Humanity: body, identity, and interiority (4) Relationship: intimacy, aggression, family, and community.

Required Readings

  • Selections from the Norton Anthology of English Literature
  • A & B, including works by Marie de France, Chaucer, Wyatt, Marlowe, Spenser, Shakespeare, Donne, and Milton.

First Three Authors/Texts:

  • Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People
  • Dream of the Rood; Beowulf

Methods of Evaluation

Term test, essay, final exam, participation.