ENGLISH 6304.01: MILTON
FALL 2016
Instructor: Dr. Clay Daniel Office: COAS 233; E-mail: [email protected]
Internet Site: faculty.utpa.edu/daniel or faculty.utrgv.edu/clay.daniel Time: Tuesday: 7:209:50 Place: TBA
Phone: 381-3421 Office Hours: TBA
I. Course Description: Studies in British Literature. Milton will be studied from a number
of angles: last major figure of the Renaissance, Puritan, participant in the English Civil
War, greatest individual influence on British poetry for the next two hundred years, one of
the few successful writers of epic, one of the world's greatest writers.
II. Course Requirements:
1. Term Paper/Essay Analysis: 20%
2. 4 major tests: 20% each
3. Blackboard/Web-CT Assignments -5 from final average if not completed
IIA: GRADING OPTIONS FOR 6304 FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE TAKEN 4312
OPTION 1: Same assignments as rest of class, except on exams you choose essay questions
that you didn’t choose in 4312 (you also will need to do the blackboard/webct again, choosing a
different subject for the assignment HOW I WROTE AN ESSAY ON MILTON).
OPTION 2: Skip essay part of exams, though the identification tests will be 75% of your grade.
Instead, write both a term paper and do the assignment on HOW I REVISED AN ESSAY ON
MILTON. Each of these will be 10-15 page essays. You will also have to do the webct again, as
described under OPTION 1.
1. Term Paper or Essay Analysis
1a. Term paper.
A. It must be at least 1200 words, excluding documentation.
B. You must use at least 5 critical sources (scholarly books or articles).
C. The paper does not have to be typed.
D. The paper is due a week after it is delivered as a report..
E. You must document your essay according to the standards listed in the 3rd edition (or later
editions) of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (on the second floor of the
library). Use the standards for parenthetical documentation with Works Cited (see example paper
for additional information). Papers not following these guidelines will be penalized 10 pts.
F. Possible 30-45 minute teaching session based upon your research.
1b. Essay Analysis: A comparison of two versions of a critical essay.
2. Major Tests: Exams usually will be distributed the first class day (they are already available
on my internet site). Tests consist of an essay (written out of class) and in-class identifications.
Most, if not all, of this material will be covered in class through lecture, discussion, and reports. I
will include an occasional question that pertains to assigned readings but that we did not cover in
class
3. Blackboard/WebCT assignments:
A.Quizzes. There are 22 quizzes (approx. 700 questions). Answers are given, so you will only
have to take each quiz twice.
B.There is also a written assignment (approx.. 1 1/2 page). 40%
C. All Blackboard/Webct/Extra Credit work due two weeks before the next to last class day
(excluding final exam day).
4. Extra Credit Assignments.
A. Up to 10 points added to a major exam grade, depending on how well you complete the
assignment. Locate 5 articles on Milton written within the last 10 years. Summarize each in
approx. 200 words.
B. Respond to the essay “Teaching Milton.” Up to five points added to a test.
C.Essay Analysis/Comparison: Up to 10 pts. added to a test (for extra credit only if you also
write term paper).
D. All extra credit due two weeks before the last class day (excluding final exam day). For
example, if the last regular class day is April 28, this work would be due on the 14th.
III. Text: John Milton: the Oxford Authors, ed. Orgel and Goldberg. You can use other texts.
Also, there is a course study guide (mostly lecture notes) that you can obtain by
1) Duplicating the copy in the Reserve Room
2) Copying it from a computer diskette that I will lend you (the study guide is formatted
Microsoft Word).
3) Copying it from my internet site: panam2 (or 3 or 4).panam.edu/~daniel or
w3.panam.edu/~daniel. This site contains much course information, including a sample essay.
IV. Course Policies: All policies subject to change to accord with university policies.
1. Regular attendance is expected, and students may be dropped for excessive absences (usually
considered more than five).
2. You can miss only one in-class exam. The make-up day will be provided toward the end of the
semester.
3. Be aware of university policies about drops.
4. You can provide suggestions or questions to me throughout the semester in person, during
conferences, or by using the anonymous BB forum.
5. University policies concerning cheating/plagiarism will be enforced. These penalties are
stringent, and you should be aware of them. Also, “As members of a community dedicated to
honesty, integrity, and mutual respect in all interactions and relationships the students, faculty
and administration of our university pledge to abide by the principles in The Bronc Honor
Code.”
6. Avoid phone calls. Email me. If you must call (not a good idea), leave message with English
Dept. (956-665-3421)
V. Accommodating Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Disability Services office for a
confidential discussion of their individual needs for academic accommodation. It is the policy of
the University of Texas-RGV to provide flexible and individualized accommodation to students
with documented disabilities that may affect their ability to fully participate in course activities
or to meet course requirements. To receive accommodation services, students must be registered
with the Disability Services office (DS), University Center #108, 665-7005.
VI. Course Goals:
Student Learning Outcomes and Instructional Goals for Advanced English Courses:
During the 2004 academic year, all UTPA major programs of study developed Student Learning
Outcomes (SLO’s) which promote consistency and accountability in preparation of majors. The
Department of English developed three SLO’s that enable individual professors to coordinate
their course objectives with the overarching English Student Learning Outcomes.
MA English: Program Intended Student Learning Outcomes
1. Understanding and contribute to the ongoing conversation about issues, current theories, and
discursive formations within the field of literature though research, writing, teaching, and
professional development.
2. Produce critical interpretations and analysis of literary texts with attention to language and
literacy.
3. Be familiar with literary canon, genres, and history of literature, as well as with
interdisciplinary approaches to study of literature.
English 6304: Instructor’s Learning Outcomes/Course Objectives
I. General Objectives for students:
1.Acquire an in-depth knowledge of John Milton (SLO 1, 2, 3)
2. Acquire an in-depth knowledge of British literary history as it pertains to Milton (SLO 1, 2, 3)
2. Acquire an in-depth knowledge of the specialized terminology of literary studies analysis in
relation to Milton (SLO 1, 2, 3.promote students’ ability to read analytically and creatively,
develop critical writing skills, and practice oral communication skills (SLO 1, 2, 3)
II. Specific Objectives: These facts and concepts are what students should have learned or
encountered by the conclusion of the course. If we don't cover these items, and you want to
know, ask me.
1.. The first class day I will give a Milton assessment test. I will give it again at the end of the
semester. A primary course goal is that each student will demonstrate at least a 50%
improvement.
2.. Specific content-area goals:
A. Key questions students should be able to answer:
1. Why did Milton exert a greater influence on English literary history than Shakespeare?
2. What is "Milton's Grand Style''?
3. How does Milton relate to the English Renaissance?
4. How does Milton relate to England's A) religious history (and Protestantism in general) and
B) political development? What is especially ironic about this relationship?
5. What is the relationship between Milton's Christianity and his classicism?
6. How did Milton establish the role of the writer within English culture?
7. What is Milton's "sage/And serious doctrine of virginity''?
8. What does Milton mean by "effeminate slackness''?
9. What is Milton's concept of "things indifferent" and its relation to Christian liberty?
10. What is Milton's view of women?
11. How does Milton relate to a) the Baroque, b) the Age of Reason, c) the English Romantics,
d) the Victorians, and e) the Modernists?
12. What are a few contemporary debates about Milton's art (e.g. his representation of reality,
his aesthetics, his models, his relation to contemporary artists, etc.)?
13. Why has Milton been interpreted so differently by so many?
14. Is there a "real" Milton? Is it possible to discover/create the "real" Milton?
15. How does Milton function as the last man of the Renaissance and the first man of the
Restoration?
B. Key events students should be able to explain:
1. Milton's progression from private studies to public life.
2. Milton's concept of evil and its relation to conflict.
3. Milton's role in the Civil War.
4. The basic events of the Civil War.
5. Milton's assertion that he spent his life writing for religious, domestic, and political liberty.
6. Milton and the Restoration
C. Students should be able to summarize the characters and events of the following works: 1. A
Mask 2. "Lycidas" 3. Paradise Lost 4. Paradise Regained 5. Samson Agonistes
D. Students should gain an overview of Milton's prose (he wrote much more prose than poetry)
VII. POSSIBLE TERM PAPER/TEACHING TOPICS: For each topic I have included at
least one source that should help you to begin your research. Also be sure to check the link on
my internet site: WHAT BOOKS HAVE BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT MILTON.
PART 1: The Milton's Biography and Prose: 1608-1674
1. Milton's view of his vocation as it develops in his early works: "Letter to a Friend,'' Ad
Patrem, his Mask, his letters to Diodati, and "Lycidas." See biographies by John Shawcross,
John Spencer Hill, and William Riley Parker.
2. Milton and the Mask. Stephen Kogan, Hieroglyphic King; and Cedric Brown, Milton's
Aristocratic Entertainments
3. Milton and Ovid. Richard Durocher, Milton and Ovid.
4 Milton and Italian Renaissance Writers. John Steadman, Milton and the Renaissance Hero, F.
T. Prince, The Italian Element in Milton's Verse.
5. Milton's view of kingship in his prose (Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, the Defenses, and
Eikonoklastes) and poetry (Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained). Stevie Davies, Images of
Kingship in Paradise Lost: Milton's Politics and Christian Liberty.
6. Milton and Spenser. Maureen Quilligan, Milton's Spenser: The Politics of Reading. Also see
John Steadman's new book on this subject.
7. Milton's political views in his prose (e.g. his Defenses and Ready and Easy Way) and poetry
(e.g. the politics of Paradise Lost and Samson Agonistes). Christopher Hill. Milton and the
English Revolution. Also see Conflict in Early Stuart England: Studies in Religion and Politics,
1603-42, ed. Richard Cust and Ann Hughes; Of Poetry and Politics: New Essays on Milton and
His World, ed. P. G. Stanwood; Steven N. Zwicker, Lines of Authority: Politics and English
Literary Culture 1649-1689; Politics, Poetics, and Hermeneutics in Milton's Prose, ed. David
Loewenstein and James Turner; Thomas Corns, Uncloistered Virtue: English Political
Literature, 1640-60; Literature and the English Civil War, Thomas Healy and Jonathan Sawday.
8. Milton's position on reformation of religion in Reason of Church-Government, Of Prelatical
Episcopacy, Animadversions, Of Reformation, and Apology Against a Pamphlet. Arthur Barker,
Milton and the Puritan Dilemma.
9. Milton's view of marriage as it appears in his works, especially the divorce tracts, his Mask,
Paradise Lost, and Samson Agonistes. Jean Hagstrum, Sex and Sensibility, Edward LeComte,
Milton and Sex.18. Milton's views on knowledge in general and education in particular. Howard
Schultz, Milton and Forbidden Knowledge; Kester Svendson, Milton and Science.
Part 2: The Last Poems (1671)
1. Joseph Wittreich, Interpreting Samson Agonistes
2. Mary Ann Radzinowicz, Toward Samson Agonistes
3. Barbara Lewalski, Milton's Brief Epic
4. Christopher Hill, Milton and the English Revolution (New York: Viking, 1984), 428-48
5. David Loewenstein Milton and the Drama of History (New York: Cambridge University Press,
1990), 126-51;
6. Representing Revolution in Milton and his Contemporaries (New York: Cambridge University
Press, 2001), 269-91
7. Laura Knoppers, Historicizing Milton: Spectacle, Power, and Poetry in Restoration England
(Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1994)
8. Blair Worden, “Milton, Samson Agonistes, and the Restoration,” in Culture and Society in the
Stuart Restoration: Literature, Drama, History, ed. Gerald Maclean (New York: Cambridge
University Press, 1995), 111-136.
9. S. Achinstein, “Samson Agonistes and the Drama of Dissent,”Milton Studie (1996): 133-158.
Part 3: Paradise Lost (and Milton's Influence)
1. Milton and his epic predecessors, Homer and Virgil. Francis Blessington, Paradise Lost and
the Classical Epic.
2. Milton and Classicism. John Steadman, Milton's Epic Characters, Milton and Renaissance
Heroism, and Milton and the Renaissance Hero.
3. Any aspect of Paradise Lost: Milton's theology, the figure of Satan, its relation to Puritanism,
its politics, reader-response analyses, Milton's view of God, the war in Heaven, to name a few.
4. Milton's Grand Style (versification Paradise Lost). Christopher Ricks, Milton's Grand Style.
5. Milton's views on women and their impact. Stevie Davies, The Feminine Reclaimed; Julia M.
Walker, ed., Milton and the Idea of Woman; Diane McColley, Milton's Eve.
6. Milton and the 18th Century. Dustin Griffin, Regaining Paradise; George Sensabaugh, The
Grand Whig,Milton. Leslie Moore, Beautiful Sublime.
7. Milton and the older Romantics Joseph Wittreich, Milton and the Romantics.
8. Milton and the younger Romantics Joseph Wittreich, Milton and the Romantics.
9. Milton and the Victorians. Raymond Havens, The Influence of Milton on English Literature.
10. Milton and Modernism. Robert M. Adams, Ikon: Milton and the Modern Critics.
11. Milton as an exemplar of "the Sublime.'' Leslie Moore, Beautiful Sublime.
VIII TENTATIVE OUTLINE OF COURSE WORK
PART 1: Milton: His Life
Week 1 August 30: Introduction to course; An overview of Milton's life.
Week 2 Sept 6: Milton's life: in-depth; Milton's search for a vocation: "Letter to a Friend'' (pp.
1-2); "Letter to Diodati'' (pp. 717-19); Reason of Church-Government and An Apology for
Smectymnuus (pp. 165-182); Defense of the English People Second (pp. 308-330); Areopagitica
(pp. 236-244). Milton's sonnets: 7 and 8 (pp. 34-35). "L'Allegro'' and "Il Penseroso'' (pp. 22-29).
Week 3 Sept 13: Milton and the Civil War: Milton's sonnets 9 through 19, "On the New
Forcers,'' "On the Lord General Fairfax,'' and "To the Lord General Cromwell'' (pp. 35-36,
78-85); and selections from Eikonoklastes and Defenses of the English People; Areopagitica (pp.
236-273).
Part 2: Milton's Early Poems: A Mask and "Lycidas"
Week 4 Sept 20: TERMS TEST 1. A Mask
Week 5 Sept 27: ESSAY TEST 1 DUE. "Lycidas"
Part 3: Milton's Last Poems: Paradise Regained, Samson Agonistes
Week 6 Oct 4: TERMS TEST 2. Samson Agonistes
Week 7 Oct 11: ESSAY TEST 2 DUE.Samson Agonistes, contd.
Week 8 Oct 18: Paradise Regained.
Week 9 Oct 25: Paradise Regained.
Part 4: Paradise Lost
Week 10 Nov 1: TERMS TEST 3. Introduction to Paradise Lost
Week 11 Nov 8: ESSAY TEST 3. Paradise Lost Books 1-4.
Week 12 Nov 15: Paradise Lost Books 5-8.
Week 13 Nov. 22 Paradise Lost Books 9-12. ALL BLACKBOARD/WEBCT EXTRA
CREDIT WORK DUE. TERM PAPERS AND ESSAY ANAYSIS/ANNOTATIONS DUE.
Week 14 Nov. 29: Paradise Lost: A Conclusion?
Week 15 Dec 6: Milton and Literary History. Course Conclusion. Prepare for final.
Week 16: Dec 13: Final Exam