| Unit name | Literature in its Time 1: Chaucer to Early Modern |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGL20104 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Gareth Griffith |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of English |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit will introduce students to the wealth of literature in English in the period running approximately from 1380 to 1640. There will be a particular focus on poetry and prose (drama from this period is covered on a different unit in the degree course); students will also be encouraged to study parallel developments in society and in late medieval and early modern thought, and changing methods of literary production and consumption.
Aims:
This unit aims to introduce students to a range of literature in the period running from the works of Geoffrey Chaucer to the reign of Charles I. Students will be introduced to a range of literary developments in this period, and to relevant contexts that impact on particular texts and on literary production and reception more widely. The unit aims to facilitate students' ongoing appreciation of the chronology and historical development of literature in English.
At the end of the unit a successful student will be able to
1) demonstrate critical understanding of the non-dramatic literature of the period and its contexts
2) analyse this literature in terms of its vocabulary, imagery, characterisation, structure, and other aspects.
3) communicate their ideas about the written texts analytically, coherently and persuasively.
10 x 3-hour seminars (1 per week)
1 x 2000 word essay (50%) [ILOs 1-3]
1 x take-home exam with particular focus on critical commentary (Fri-Mon) (50%) [ILOs 1-3]
Geoffrey Chaucer, Canterbury Tales
Thomas Wyatt, Sonnets
Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene
John Donne, Songs and Sonnets
Michael Hattaway, A Companion to English Renaissance Literature and Culture
