English 2230: Survey of British Literature I

 

Fall 2012

 

Lowder 129, MW 9:00-9:50

Section 002, 2124 Haley Center, Th 8:00-8:50

Section 003, 2204 Haley Center, Th  8:00-8:50

Section 004, 3184 Haley Center, Th 8:00-8:50

Section 005, 2222 Haley Center, F 9:00-9:50

Section 006, 3184 Haley Center, F 9:00-9:50

Section 007, 3194 Haley Center, F 9:00-9:50

 

Dr. Anna Riehl Bertolet                        

Office:                     9006 Haley Center        

Office phone:          844-9006

Office hours:           M W F 8:00-8:50 and by appointment

Email:                      ariehl@auburn.edu

 

Teaching Assistants

Mr. Ryan Lysaght	Mr. Shane Ruckstuhl	Ms. Cynthia Sampson
Sections 3 and 5	Sections 2 and 7	Sections 4 and 6
Office: 2104	Office: 2104	Office: 9093 Haley Center
Office Phone: 844-5728	Office Phone: 844-5728	Office Phone: 844-9111
Office Hours: M 10:00-11:30	Office Hours: Th F 10-10:45	Office Hours F 10:00-11:30
rzl0018@auburn.edu	sdr0006@auburn.edu	ces0040@auburn.edu

 

“No path is more direct, either to gain good fortune or to procure my grace,

than diligently, in your studies which you have begun, to stick to your work.”

Elizabeth I, speech at Cambridge University

 

Course Description

 

Our period of study charts the rise of English literature from the few scraps of Old English (or Anglo-Saxon) literature that was produced by a barbaric Germanic tribe who conquered the island and was converted to Christianity by the Romanized Britons of England—to the eve of the Romantic Period, the Second Great Age of English Lyric Poetry. Before 1066, the English had the largest corpus of non-Latin literature in Western Europe. The Norman Conquest ended that hegemony when the French language and its literature took over England. By the end of our period (roughly 1790), Great Britain was the most powerful nation on the planet with indisputably the largest navy and nearly the largest land empire. Also, by 1790, English literature was in the process of eclipsing French literature in producing the world’s most influential writers (helped by Great Britain’s military, economic, and political power). We will study how the literature reflected the politics, society, and economy of the times. Our journey will start with the earliest surviving English lyric poem, Caedmon’s Hymn, and will include writers of established canonicity (the Gawain-Poet, Chaucer, Spenser, Sidney, Shakespeare, Donne, Milton, Dryden, Swift, and Pope) as well as minor and marginalized figures (Herrick, Herbert, Philips, Behn, and Burney). The point of our exploration will be to survey the richness of this heritage and to understand why it continues to shape our world today.

 

Objectives

 

Content

 

• To explore various English texts and compare how writers used or transformed their cultural context in order to discover more about their society or themselves

 

• To understand how English literature developed over the course of roughly 1200 years

 

Skills

 

• To acquire strategies for reading texts and an understanding of how literary texts do what they do

 

• To use evidence from the text and the context to carry out basic textual moves: characterizing, interpreting, justifying a reading, and making an argument

 

• To become more sophisticated readers, able to recognize multiple interpretations and points of view

 

Personal

 

• To find out more about yourselves and the way you look at the world

 

Reading and Writing

 

In this course, reading and writing will not only go hand in hand, but they will at times dance around each other, provoke each other (both playfully and in earnest), shine the light on each other’s lineaments and meaning, and then join hands again. From the first reading assignment in this class, start training yourself to read actively: mark up (annotate) the text, keep an outline of the events and characters (a useful technique when you work with Spenser’s Faerie Queene, for instance), and jot down questions and observations that come to you in the process of reading. We will practice some skills of active reading in class early in the semester, and you will be expected to apply them to every new text we encounter thereafter. Your thinking about the readings will be two-fold: through discussion and through writing. Thinking out loud is a useful strategy for sharing your ideas as well as honing them; writing is an equally useful and an absolutely necessary activity for the development of a sophisticated textual analysis. Your writing in this class will be closely tied to the texts at hand: you will seek and analyze textual evidence and articulate your position through writing. Thus, you will be perpetually knitting the texts together, through your thinking: connecting literary texts to each other, connecting them to the analytical texts of your own making, and relating your previous discoveries to the new texts that you read and write.

 

Required Texts

 

&  Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume A: The Middle Ages through the Restoration and the Eighteenth Century, edited by Stephen Greenblatt et al.

 

&  Frances Burney, Evelina, Norton Critical Edition.

 

& Additional reading materials may be distributed as handouts or posted for your use on Canvas. Please print them and bring them to class.

 

 

Other Resources

 

The Ralph Brown Draughon Library

The Main Reference Desk: 844-1737.

 

Oxford English Dictionary

OED is available online through the Auburn Libraries Homepage, under databases. Please look up unfamiliar words regularly.

 

Course Policies

 

Attendance and Punctuality

     Attendance is crucial and will be taken at each class. Unexcused absences will affect your letter grade as follows:    3 absences = 1 letter grade lost

                                         5 absences = 2 letter grades lost

                                         7 absences = conference with me about your (dis)continued enrollment.

Be advised that excessive unexcused absences will result in a grade of “FA” (failure due to absences). However, according to University policy, you may withdraw from the course at any point up to mid-semester (October 5, 2012). Leaving the room at any time before I have dismissed the class, whether you return or not, constitutes an absence. If you miss class, it is up to you to request that the absence be excused; you must provide legitimate documentation for the excuse. If the absence is one that can be foreseen, you should request an excused absence ahead of time; if the absence is unforeseen, you should request an excused absence and present verification for it no later than one week from the end of the period of absence. Should you find that you will be missing a number of classes, please contact me immediately. Please see the

Student Policy eHandbook for information on excused absences [www.auburn.edu/studentpolicies].

     Tardiness is an unacceptable class disruption. Two late arrivals (of five minutes or more) will count as one absence.

 

@ Writing Assignments

▪   There will be four formal writing assignments in this class. You will have an option to make substantial revisions to one of the graded writing assignments in order to improve your grade.

▪   All papers should be typed in standard font (Times New Roman), size 12, double-spaced, with one inch margins. Take time to proofread your papers thoroughly.

▪    The due dates for all assignments are indicated in the syllabus.

▪    Unless otherwise noted, submit all your writing assignments through Canvas.

▪    All assignments will be explained to you in further detail as the semester progresses.

 

Quizzes

To encourage thoughtful reading and regular attendance, we will give unannounced quizzes, based on your assigned reading for that day. Quizzes will be given at the beginning of class, and quiz questions will not be repeated for latecomers. As long as you complete the assigned readings, quizzes will be easy for you. Quizzes cannot be made up—another reason to attend every class! However, quizzes missed because of excused absences will simply not be counted in determining your final course grade.

 

i>clickers

You need to acquire, register, and use an i>clicker2 remote for in-class participation. Bring your iClicker to every lecture: we will use them regularly, and you will earn participation points by doing so. i>clicker2 is a response system that allows you to respond to questions I pose during class, and you will be graded on that feedback and/or your in-class participation.  In order to receive this credit, you will need to register your i>clicker2 remote online by our meeting on August 27 (Monday). You must have come to class at least once and voted on at least one question in order to complete this registration properly.  Once you have voted on a question in this class, go to http://www.iclicker.com/registration. Complete the fields with your first name, last name, student ID, and remote ID.  Your student ID should be your personal CANVAS ID. This Canvas ID is not easily available to students. You can discover your Canvas ID using the instructions at http://auburn.edu/img/canvas/help/students/index.html The remote ID is the series of numbers and sometimes letters found on the bottom of the back of your i>clicker2 remote. i>clicker2 will be used every day in class, and you are responsible for bringing your remote daily.

 

Deadlines

All assignments should be turned in by the beginning of the period on the day when they are due.

We will not accept late assignments except in cases of unforeseen excused absences.

 

Make-Up Work

Should you miss class, it is your responsibility to obtain information and materials from that class, and to turn in the work that was due the day you missed class in a timely manner. If your absence is excused, any work from the missed class will be due the first day you return to class. All make-up work must be turned in one week after your absence, unless I approve of an extension under extraordinary circumstances. If your absence is unexcused, you must turn in your work the day the work is due. You must see your TA before or after class or during her or his office hours to receive any materials from that class and discuss what you missed.

 

Plagiarism is…

·         directly copying a source without acknowledging that source;

·         summarizing or paraphrasing someone else's words or ideas without acknowledging that source; or

·         turning in a paper that has been written by someone else as if it were your own.

All portions of the Auburn University Student Academic Honesty code (Title XII) found in the Student Policy eHandbook at http://www.auburn.edu/student_info/student_policies/ will apply to this class. All academic honesty violations or alleged violations of the SGA Code of Laws will be reported to the Office of the Provost, which will then refer the case to the Academic Honesty Committee.

 

Special Accommodations

Students who need accommodations need to send me an electronic notification through AU Access and arrange a meeting during office hours the first week of classes or as soon as possible if accommodations are needed immediately. If you have a conflict with my office hours, an alternate time can be arranged. If you have not established accommodations through the Office of Accessibility, but need accommodations, make an appointment with the Office of Accessibility, 1228 Haley Center, 844-2096 (V/TT).

 

Classroom Behavior Policy

Students are expected to conduct themselves in a courteous and respectful manner. Cell phones, iPhones, pagers, beepers, Blackberries, iPods, and laptops are not allowed unless express permission is granted by me or your TA. If approved, these devices are to be used only for activities directly related to our class.

 

E-mail Policy

We welcome your e-mails and will respond within 24 hours except in extreme circumstances. Occasionally, we will send out class or section e-mails, so please check your e-mail regularly. More frequently, we will post announcements on Canvas so please set your preferences to receive regular alerts from that site.

 

Conferences

You are welcome to meet with me or your TA during our office hours or by appointment to discuss reading and / or writing assignments as well as any other matters relevant to the course.

 

Grade Distribution:

 

Participation  (includes in-class writing,                                      15%

                       volunteering to read, sharing opinions,

                       working effectively in groups, using iClickers)

Papers 1-4                                                                               40%  (10% each)

Midterm                                                                                  15%

Quizzes                                                                                   10%  (1% each)                      

Final exam                                                                              20%

 

Scale for final course grade: 90-100 A; 80-89 B; 70-79 C; 60-69 D, below 60 F

 

 

 

Remember that attendance is mandatory. Unexcused absences will result in the lowering of your grade. (Refer to attendance policy on pages 3-4 for details.)

 

 

 

 

Weekly Schedule

I reserve the right to make changes to the following schedule; if this occurs, I will announce changes in advance. Please consult the schedule daily because I may not always announce assignments for the next class meeting. I expect you to have completed the reading for the day and be prepared to discuss it when you come to class. Bring your book to each class meeting or you will be considered absent.

 

Week One                  

Th-Fr   8/16-17            No class. Familiarize yourself with Canvas.

 

                                                                       

Week Two

M    8/20                      Introduction to each other and to the course. Going through syllabus.

                                    Anglo-Saxon England

                                    “Cædmon’s Hymn” (posted on Canvas in the Files).

 

W    8/22                     “The Wanderer” (posted on Canvas in the Files).

 

Th-Fr  8/23-24             “The Dream of the Rood” (pp. 24-26).

 

 

Week Three

M    8/27                      Medieval England

Marie de France, Lanval (99-111).

 

W    8/29                     Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (114-137).

 

Th-Fr   8/30-31            Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (137-165).

 

 

Week Four                 

M     9/3                       Labor Day. No class.

 

W     9/5                      Geoffrey Chaucer, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale (207-235).

 

Th-Fr   9/6-7               Chaucer.

 

Week Five      

M     9/10                    Geoffrey Chaucer, The Nun’s Priest’s Tale (250-63).

 

W     9/12                    Julian of Norwich’s Book of Showings (282-85).

Margery Kempe, The Book of Margery Kempe (285-289).      

 

Th-F    9/13-14                Due: Paper 1.

Norwich and Kempe.

                           

Week Six                    

M       9/17                  Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte D’Arthur (301-18).

                                    

W         9/19                The York Play of the Crucifixion (292-99).

                                         

Th-Fr   9/20-21            Malory and the York play.

 

 

Week Seven

M     9/24                      Midterm exam.

                                                                                                                                         

W     9/26                      Tudor England.

                                      Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (349-54).

 

Th-Fr      9/27-28          Wyatt and Surrey.

 

 

Week Eight               

M       10/01                  Queen Elizabeth I (359-65).  

 

W       10/03                  Edmund Spenser, Faerie Queene, Book I (pp. 370-406).

 

Th-Fr   10/4-5                Edmund Spenser, Faerie Queene, Book I (pp. 406-423).

 

                ***Friday, October 5 is last day to withdraw from a course with no grade penalty.***

                                                                                                                                                                                       

 

Week Nine                     

M       10/08                  Sir Philip Sidney, Astrophil & Stella (451-55).

                                      Edmund Spenser, Amoretti (435-37).

                            

W       10/10                  Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Acts I-II (starts on p. 512).

 

Th-F   10/11-12            Due: Paper 2.

                                      Sidney, Spenser, Shakespeare.

                                       

Week Ten

M         10/15                 Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Acts III-V.

 

W        10/17                John Donne, “The Good-Morrow,” “Song,” “The Sun Rising,” “The

 Flea,” “The Canonization,” “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning,”   

 “Holy Sonnets” #1, 7, 10, 13, 14, 18; “Good Friday 1613” (600-628).

 

Th-F     10/18-19          Shakespeare and Donne.

 

  

Week Eleven

M         10/22               Aemelia Lanyer, Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum (630-633).

 

W        10/24               Lady Mary Wroth, from Pamphilia to Amphilanthus (652-54).

 

Th-F    10/25-26          Due: Paper 3.

Lanyer and Wroth.

 

Week Twelve

M         10/29               Stuart England and the Civil War

Katherine Philips (672-675), Andrew Marvell (677-686).

 

W        10/31               John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book One (725-743).

 

Th-Fr   11/1-2             Philips, Marvell, Milton.

 

 

Week Thirteen

M         11/5                     Aphra Behn, Oroonoko (927-971).

 

W        11/7                 Restoration & 18^th-Century England

John Dryden, “Mac Flecknoe” (905-910).

[Frances Burney, Evelina (3-70).]

 

Th-F    11/8-9              Behn and Dryden.

[Frances Burney, Evelina (70-125).]

 

Week Fourteen

M         11/12               Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels (976-1016).

 

W        11/14               Alexander Pope, Rape of the Lock (1137-1155).

 

Th-F    11/15-16          Due: Paper 4.

Swift and Pope.

 

Week Fifteen

M-F     11/19-23          Thanksgiving break. No classes.

 

Week Sixteen

M         11/26               Evelina (125-281).

           

W        11/28               Evelina (281-337).

 

Th-Fr   11/29-30          Evelina.

 

           

Week Seventeen

 

Th    12/ 06            Final exam: 8:00-10:30.