English 211
Survey of English Literature
Dr. John Todd Coke
Pawling Hall 114 (ext. 8127)
Office Hours: 12-1 MWF and by appointment

Course Description: (as printed in the Catalog): “Chronological survey of English literature from Beowulf through Milton, with special emphasis on the masters.  Prerequisite: ENG 112.”

Textbooks: The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Major Authors Edition ; Hamlet, Signet Classic Edition

Policies and Requirements:

Attendance: You will be allowed to miss a maximum of four classes during the semester, no explanations required.  Classroom participation is an important part of your grade, so try to be present and prepared for every class meeting.

Reading Assignments: You should arrive at every class period having read and thought about the reading assignment for that day.  I will interpret your unwillingness to participate in discussion as evidence of your failure to keep up with your reading and will take this into account when calculating your grade.

Quizzes: During the course of the semester, I will give approximately ten brief (5-10 min.) quizzes on the assigned reading for the day.  You should arrive at every class period under the assumption that a quiz will occur on that day.

Exams: I will give three major exams during the semester.  All of these tests will include essay and objective questions, and all will include at least one question on each item from the reading list for the relevant testing period.  These exams are IMPORTANT; they are one third of your grade.  Do not wait until the last minute to catch up on your reading.

Papers: A ten-page, critically-informed treatment of a topic of special interest to you, but subject to my recommendations and approval, due on the date listed in the syllabus.

Grading:  One third of your grade will be based on your paper, one third will depend upon your performances on the tests, and a final third will be based upon your performance in the classroom.  This last category includes daily preparation, quizzes, and discussion.

 Schedule of Assignments (subject to change):

1. Introduction to the course

2. Introduction to the Old English period; Beowulf, part I (the fight with Grendel)

3. Beowulf (Part II: the fight with Grendel's mother)

4. Beowulf (Part III: the fight with the dragon)

5. Introduction to the Middle English Period; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, 1 and 2

6. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, 3 and 4

7. Introduction to Chaucer; "General Prologue" from The Canterbury Tales

8. "General Prologue," continued

9. "The Wife of Bath's Prologue"

10. "The Wife of Bath's Prologue," continued

11. "The Wife of Bath's Tale"

12. "The Nun's Priest's Tale"

13. Review

14. Test 1

15. Introduction to the Sixteenth Century

16. Sonnets (selections to be announced)

17. Sonnets (continued)

18. Spenser, The Faerie Queene, Book I, Canto I

19. Marlowe, Dr. Faustus

20. Dr. Faustus, continued.

21. Dr. Faustus, continued.

22. Shakespeare, I Henry IV, Acts I and II

23. Shakespeare, I Henry IV, Acts III and IV

24. Shakespeare, I Henry IV, Act V

25. I Henry IV, continued; review for test

26. Test 2

27. Hamlet, Act I

28. Hamlet, Act II

29. Hamlet, Act III

30. Hamlet, Act IV

31. Hamlet, Act V

32. Hamlet, continued.

33. Donne, "The Flea," "The Ecstasy," "The Canonization," "Valediction: Forbidding Mourning"

34. Donne, Holy Sonnets 5, 7, 10, 14; "A Hymn to God the Father"; "Good Friday 1613--Riding Westward"; Meditation 17

35. 17th Century Poetry (selections to be announced)

36. 17th Century Poetry, continued

37. Milton, "L'Allegro"

38. Milton, "Il Penseroso"

39. Milton, "Lycidas"

40. To be announced

41. Review for final

Test 3 and the comprehensive final exam will be given together during the final exam period.