English 321: Survey of English Literature,
Beowulf to Milton
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Spring 2003 Course Information:
Instructor: Dr. Margaret Dahlberg
Office: McFarland 316
Phone: x3721; home (before 10 pm) 845-8939
Office hours: MWF 9 and 2, TR at 2, and by
arrangement
The literature selected for this course provides an overview
of the early poetry, prose, and drama written in English (or
by native English speakers). We will discuss the
development of styles in each of these genres as we read
the works roughly in the order they are dated.
The central concerns of the course will focus on
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the development of literary form and style over time
literature in its historical context
a thoughtful and informed reader response
Course activities will include, in addition to reading the
works assigned, tests and/or inclass essays based on the
readings and lecture content, short writing assignments and
presentations, completion of a timeline based on course
lecture and readings, and two longer writing projects based
on your own research.
Evaluation will be based on shorter writing assignments
and class presentations (25%), four tests (40%), timeline
(due at final exam period--5%), and two longer projects
(15% each).
U of Kentucky
Special Collections,
Litany Leaf
Course Texts:
St. Bernard Writing. MS. Laud
Misc. 385, fol.41v. From Bodleian
Library Collection.
1. The Earliest English Poems (trans. Michael
Alexander)--available in the Bookstore
2. The Adventures of Beowulf --etext, a
modern adaptation
3. The Wife of Bath (Chaucer, ed. Peter
Beidler)--available in the Bookstore
4. The Pardoner's Tale, additional material
from the Canterbury Tales --etext
5. Lyric Poems from the Middle Ages --etext
6. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (ed.
J.R.R.Tolkien)--available in the Bookstore
7. Everyman and other Micracle and Morality
Plays--available in the Bookstore
8. Dr. Faustus (Marlowe)--available in the
Bookstore
9. Utopia (Sir Thomas More)--available in the
Bookstore
10. Wyatt, Surrey, Sydney, Spenser,
Shakespeare, Roper--etexts found through
Luminarium and Renascence Literature
11. John Milton: Selected Poems--available
in the Bookstore
Tentative Schedule
January 15-Jan 31: Earliest
English Poems; Beowulf;
Anglo-Saxon culture
Feb. 3 Test 1, Old English
literature
Feb 5-Mar 5 Chaucer: The
Canterbury Tales and The
Wife of Bath; Middle English
Lyric
Mar 7-Mar 12: Sir Gawain
and the Green Knight
Course Projects
1. Illuminated Manuscript:
This project meets the Aethetic
Engagement Abiltiy
(Receptivity, Level 3). Select a
character description from
Chaucer's General Prologue. In
a Word document, retype the
lines from the text. Add
visuals--clip art, material from
the web, font changes, etc.
You should end up with a onepage illuminated text that
interprets the lines as well as
decorates them. Check the link
on the schedule (left) for
Mar 14: Test 2, Middle
English literature
Friday, February 28:
Illuminated Manuscript due
March 24-28 Medieval Drama
March 31-April 4 Dr. Faustus
April 7: Test 3, Development
of Early English Drama
April 9-14 Utopia
April 16--May 3: Sixteenth
Century English Verse
(Sidney, Spencer,
Shakespeare, Wyatt, Surrey)
Friday, April 25: Literary
Web Page project due
May 5-9 Milton
May 13 (Tuesday) at 1:00
Test 4 (Final Exam Period):
16th and 17th Century
literature; timeline due.
complete description of
assignment, grading criteria,
and due date.
2. Literary Web Page: This
project could be used to meet
several of the English major
abilities, depending on your
focus. Select a pre-18th
century text to read and
research. Your job is to present
the text in an informative
website that includes
background, descriptive
infomation, and snippits of
illustrative text. You must
demonstrate the
historical/cultural context of the
work. Check the link on the
schedule (left) for more
information, a list of possible
texts to select from, grading
criteria, and due date.
3. Timeline: Using notes
from class discussion and your
reading, complete the literary
timeline form . I suggest you
save this file to your desktop
and update it periodically over
the course of the semester. It
is due May 13 (final exam
period); see instructions on
form for more information.