English 4800: Seminar in Literature (Capstone)

 

Disguise, Revenge, Boys Playing Girls Playing Boys:

Researching the Renaissance Drama

 

Fall 2012

3110 Haley Center

M W F  11:00-11:50

 

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

 

 

Course Description and Objectives

 

This course will be focused on researching and writing a substantial essay on Elizabethan and Jacobean drama. Gender politics, family feuds, generational disputations, political matters, social ambitions, and the pressing realities of the theater all found their representation in the texts we will read. In tandem with the primary texts, we will examine a number of scholarly studies to help you discover the focus of your own research and learn the craft of writing a scholarly essay. The fundamental goals of this course are to familiarize you with a number of Renaissance plays; to improve your ability to read literary texts closely and with understanding; to hone your research skills; to develop your skills at writing about literature clearly and perceptively; to produce an article-length research essay.

 

As a seminar, this course will serve as preparation for anyone planning to go to graduate school. It is a capstone required for completion of the Literature Track and requires the completion of ENGL 3130 Survey of Critical Theory.

 

 

Required Texts

 

& Shakespeare, Twelfth Night

&  Elizabeth Cary, The Tragedy of Mariam

&  Ben Jonson, Epicene

&    Webster, The Duchess of Malfi

& Middleton and Dekker, The Roaring Girl

& Middleton, The Revenger’s Tragedy

&    Middleton, Women Beware Women

& Ford, ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore

& Secondary readings specified on the syllabus

& All additional primary and secondary reading materials will be posted on Canvas and must be printed at your convenience, read, marked up, and brought to class on the day this reading is due.

Other Resources

 

The Ralph Brown Draughon Library

The Main Reference Desk: 844-1737. For the second essay in this class, you will be required to conduct library research and shape your own analysis of a text (or texts) in response to your findings. In order to acquaint you with the library’s resources, databases, and strategies for research, one class will take place at the library (Sept. 26). We will have a second “research in progress” session in late October.

 

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.

 

 

@ Essay Assignments

▪   There will be two formal written assignments in this class: one 5-7 page essay, one 20-25 essay.

▪   All papers should be typed in standard font (Times New Roman), size 12, double-spaced, on 8.5x11 white paper, with one inch margins, and stapled. Take time to proofread your papers thoroughly.

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

▪    I will not accept papers over e-mail.

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

 

@ Response papers

There will be 4 response papers. 4-5 people will be writing responses for the same class. Your paper should answer a specific question or questions posed to you in advance. It is your responsibility to obtain these questions from me, 1-3 days before this writing assignment is due. Make your response concise and focused. Response papers are due via Canvas by the beginning of class, and you should be ready to share your response in detail during class discussion that day—so print out a copy for yourself or bring it along on an electronic device. Response papers should be typed in standard font (Times New Roman), size 12, double-spaced and should be 1 and a half to 2 pages long. (If you quote extensively, adjust the length of the response accordingly.) Response papers cannot be submitted for a grade after the day they are due.

 

Quizzes

To encourage thoughtful reading and regular attendance, I 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 which you miss will receive a grade of zero. 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.

 

Research Presentations

The purpose of this assignment is to report on your research to date and receive constructive feedback from your classmates and me. We will talk about the strategies for these presentation later in the semester.

 

Deadlines

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

I 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 me before or after class or during my 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.

Read the “Student Academic Honesty Code” at https://sites.auburn.edu/admin/universitypolicies/Policies/AcademicHonestyCode.pdf. Plagiarism at AU is a serious offense and may be grounds for a failing grade and dismissal from the university. If I suspect plagiarism, I will initiate proceedings as described in the policy established by the Office of the Provost.

 

Special Accommodations

Students who need accommodations are asked to submit your Accommodation Memo and an Instructor Verification Form electronically, and then 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. To set up this meeting, please contact me by e-mail. If you do not have an Accommodation Memo but need accommodations, make an appointment with The Program for Students with Disabilities, 1233 Haley Center, 844-2096, or email haynemd@auburn.edu.

 

Classroom Behavior Policy

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

 

 

E-mail Policy

I welcome your e-mails and will respond within 24 hours except in extreme circumstances. Occasionally, I will send out class e-mails, so please check your e-mail regularly. Please refrain from submitting entire drafts via e-mail, unless you have made prior arrangements with me. You may, however, submit an outline, thesis, or one paragraph for feedback. All rough, revised, and final drafts should be submitted in hard copy.

 

Conferences

You are welcome to meet with me during my office hours or by appointment to discuss reading and / or writing assignments as well as any other matters relevant to the course. I particularly encourage you to come by while you are in the process of working on your research essay.

 

Additional Requirements

Save all of your notes, handouts, graded work, etc. I expect you to incorporate my corrections in your subsequent writing (for example, if I point out a tendency to a particular grammatical error, I expect you to look up the rule and not make the same mistake from then on). You are strongly encouraged to save back-up copies of essays and response papers on secondary drives and to email copies to yourself as a safeguard against computer failure.

 

Grade Distribution:

 

Participation (includes in-class writing,                                   10%

                       volunteering to read, sharing opinions,

                       working effectively in groups, etc.)

Essay 1                                                                                     10%

Essay 2                                                                                     50%

Midterm exam                                                                          10%

Quizzes                                                                                      5%

Research Presentation                                                                5%

Response papers                                                                      10%       

 

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

 

 

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 2-3 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. If you are absent from class, it is your responsibility to check on announcements made while you were absent. 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 from the class. The same rule applies to all reading materials posted on Canvas.

                         

Week One                  

F   8/17                        Introduction to each other and to the course. Going through syllabus.

                                                                                   

Week Two

M    8/20                      Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Act 1.

                                    Roslyn L. Knutson. “Theater Companies and Stages.” In Early Modern English

Drama: A Critical Companion, edited by Garrett A. Sullivan, Jr., Patrick Cheney, Andrew Hadfield (New York: Oxford UP, 2006), 12-22.

 

W    8/22                     Wendy Wall. “Dramatic Authorship and Print.” In Early Modern English

Drama: A Critical Companion, edited by Garrett A. Sullivan, Jr., Patrick Cheney, Andrew Hadfield (New York: Oxford UP, 2006), 1-11.

           

F      8/24                     Twelfth Night, Acts 2-3.

 

 

Week Three

8/27                             Twelfth Night, Acts 4-5.

 

8/29                             Jean Reid Norman, “Can She Talk the Talk? What Speech Patterns Say about

Viola / Cesario.” Journal of the Wooden O Symposium 7 (2007): 65-76.

 

8/31                            David Schalkwyk. “Music, food, and love in the affective landscapes of Twelfth

                                   Night.” In Twelfth Night: New Critical Essays, edited by James Schiffer

                                   (London: Routledge, 2011), 81-98.

 

Week Four

M     9/3                       Labor Day holiday. No class. 

 

Text(s) and possible topics are due via email by Tuesday, September 4, 8 pm.

 

W     9/5                     Webster, The Duchess of Malfi, Acts 1-2.

                                   

F      9/7                      The Duchess of Malfi, Act 3.

 

Week Five      

M     9/10                    Andrew Gurr, “The Players.” In The Shakespearean Stage 1574-1642

                                   (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2008), 80-114.

 

W     9/12                    The Duchess of Malfi, Act 4-5.

 

                                                                     

F      9/14                    Maurizio Calbi. “’That body of hers’: The secret, the specular, the spectacular in   

                                    The Duchess of Malfi and anatomical discourses.” Approximate Bodies: Gender

                                    and power in early modern drama and anatomy (New York: Routledge, 2005),

                                   1- 31.

 

Week Six                    

M     9/17                     Due: Essay # 1.

                                    Contextualizing The Duchess of Malfi (readings from Arden edition).

                                   

W     9/19                    Sara Jayne Steen. “The Crime of Marriage: Arbella Stuart and The Duchess of

                                    Malfi.” The Sixteenth Century Journal 22. 1 (Spring 1991): 61-76.

                                

F      9/21                     Ben Jonson, Epicene, Acts 1-2.

                                         

Week Seven

M     9/24                      Midterm exam.

                                                                                                                                         

W     9/26                      Library Instruction session: Research. We will meet at the library.

 

F       9/28                     Epicene, Acts 3-5.                                                                          

 

Week Eight               

M       10/1                    Edel Lamb. “Becoming Men: The Child Player in Jonson's Epicene.” Ben

 Jonson Journal 15.2 (Nov. 2008): 175-193.

 

W       10/3                    Thomas Middleton, The Revenger’s Tragedy, Act 1.

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

 

F        10/5                     The Revenger’s Tragedy, Acts 2-3.

                                               

Week Nine                

M       10/8                    The Revenger’s Tragedy, Acts 4-5.

                              

W       10/10                  Peter Stallybrass, “Reading the Body and the Jacobean Theater of

                                      Consumption,” in Staging the Renaissance, ed. by David Scott Kastan and

                                      Peter Stallybrass (New York: Routledge, 1991), 210-20.  

 

F          10/12                Stephen Mullaney, “Mourning and Misogyny: Hamlet, The Revenger’s

Tragedy, and the Final Progress of Elizabeth I, 1600-1607.” Shakespeare  Quarterly 45.2 (Summer 1994): 139-62.

 

Week Ten

M         10/15                 Elizabeth Cary, The Tragedy of Mariam, Acts 1-3.

 

W        10/17                 The Tragedy of Mariam, Acts 4-5.

 

F          10/19                 Boyd M. Berry. “Feminine Construction of Patriarchy; Or What’s Comic inThe

                                     Tragedy of Mariam.” Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England 7 (1995):

 257-74.

 

Week Eleven

M         10/22                Research check-up session in the computer lab (room 3116)

 

W        10/24                Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker, The Roaring Girl, Acts 1-2.

 

F          10/26               The Roaring Girl, Act 3.

 

Week Twelve

M         10/29               The Roaring Girl, Acts 4-5.

 

W        10/31               Mary Beth Rose. “Women in Men’s Clothing: Apparel and Social

Stability in The Roaring Girl.” In the NCE of The Roaring Girl. 228-49.

                                              

F          11/2                 John Ford, ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore, Act 1. No class meeting.

 

Week Thirteen

M         11/5                        ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore, Acts 2-3.

 

W        11/7                 'Tis Pity She’s a Whore, Acts 4-5.

 

F          11/9                 Michael Neill, "'What Strange Riddle's This?': Deciphering 'Tis Pity She's a

Whore," in Revenge Tragedy, ed. Simkin, Stevie (Basingstoke, England: Palgrave), 2001, 229-54.

 

Week Fourteen

M         11/12               Research presentations (10 min each)

 

W        11/14               Research presentations

 

F          11/16               Research presentations

 

Week Fifteen

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

 

 

Week Sixteen

M         11/26                Thomas Middleton, Women Beware Women, Acts 1-3.

           

W        11/28               Women Beware Women, Acts 4-5.

 

F          11/30               Due: Final Research Essay.