A lecture-discussion course that surveys texts from the Old English, Middle English, and Early Modern periods in the context of literary and cultural traditions and that provides students with a foundational knowledge of British literary history before 1670. Readings include Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (in translation), selections from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (in Middle English), a book of Spenser’s Faerie Queene, a play by Shakespeare, and Milton’s Paradise Lost. In addition, it teaches the art of close reading and analytical writing. This course is required for English majors.
