ENH2110

Renaissance literature: power and love

(ART)

P Groves

6 points + 2 hours per week + First semester + Clayton + Prerequisites: a first-year sequence in English

Synopsis: A study of the literature of the English renaissance (roughly 1560-1660) through an examination of works illustrating a variety of treatments of power and love in political, social and religious contexts. The first half of the subject concentrates on works by Marlowe, Donne and Milton; the second half considers these and some related works in a series of specific studies of (1) literature of the politics and ethics of power, and (2) literature of love - sexual and sacred. There will be some emphasis on the representations of gender in the prescribed texts and its relation to the socio-political status of women in the period.

Assessment: Critical Exercise (1000 words): 25% + Essay (3000 words): 55% + Class paper (equivalent 450 words) 10% + Participation: 10% + An optional examination may replace the long essay.