As a “gateway” to the English major, and hence a preparation for later courses, this course is intended to introduce students to contemporary debates in literary history, literary theory, and the interpretation of literary works. We shall study both literary and critical/theory works, paying particular attention to the historical contexts in which they emerge and in which our own discussion of them occurs. The emphasis will be on intensive rather than extensive reading, “exemplary” rather than “representative” texts and issues: this is not a survey course. We shall focus on two periods in English literary history, conventionally designated the Renaissance (or early modern period) and Romanticism, the first pre-industrial and the second corresponding to the beginning of industrialization. The types of literature we shall read include lyric poetry, verse drama, and prose fiction; the types of criticism/theory include formalism, feminism, and cultural materialism

Texts:

• Shakespeare. The Tempest.
• Austen. Mansfield Park.

photocopied course packet. Concurrent enrollment in ENGL 197 is required.