ENG202H1F - L5101

Introduction to British Literature I


Times

Wednesday 6 pm - 8 pm and Monday 6 pm - 7 pm or 7 pm - 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