British Lit 1

Students practicing for the final exam. "British" blue from woad drove the giants from Albion at the dawn of history so that the place was re-named Pretannike (Greek for "land of colored people"), later Pretannia (in Latin), and at last Britannia (when none could hold their Ps). The local ale was swilled in turn by Celtic, Roman, Gothic, English, Christian, Viking, Dane, Norman, and sadly even French writers. Some posed as Brits and some did not, but to us today they're mainly all one, our imperial mother.

Our subject is civilized (blue underpants).

"British Literature, Part One" samples the literary record up to the American revolution. Be forewarned about these readings: they have been known to become addictive.

It is hard to bear only if you are rather small.

Thy Books!

David Damrosch et al., eds. The Longman Anthology of British Literature, Volume One. 3rd Edition. Vols. 1A, 1B, 1C. New York: Pearson Longman, 2006. ISBN 0-321-33392-6.

A BORROWER BE: This third edition
may be obtained from Dr G at gutchess@englishare.net.

The new edition (volume 4) released in 2010 deletes a number of readings
from the third edition which are covered in this course.
Be sure to have the third edition for this course.

The green three-book set is for this course, Part 1 of British Survey. We sample literature in the British Isles from the beginning to the American Revolution.

Part 2 of British Survey, a course which is offered another semester, covers romantic, Victorian and modern writers.

see also Longman's companion web site.

Thy Schedule & Syllabus forsooth

Aug. 28, 2010. LESSON 01. "What is British Literature?" Damrosch Volume 1A xxi-xxii. "The Celts," Damrosch 1A 4-5. "Ancient Britain Source Texts" online at englishare. Quiz (1). Journal (2). Items in this schedule in this dark red font are interactive components for registered students. Find these assignments at the college course site in SUNY Learning Network.

BOOK 1A:
THE MIDDLE AGES

Aug. 31. LESSON 02. "The Middle Ages," Damrosch 1A 3-4. "The Germanic Invasions," 1A 5-7. Beowulf, "Grendel" and "Grendel's Mother," 1A 27-74 (lines 1-1934).

Sep. 04. LESSON 03. "Pagan and Christian," 1A 7-8. Beowulf, "The Dragon," 1A 74-92 (lines 1935-end). "The Wanderer," "Wulf and Edwacer and The Wife's Lament," and "Riddles," 1A 153-162. Quiz (1). Journal (2).

Sep. 07. LESSON 04. "Early Irish Narrative," "Early Irish Verse," "Judith," "Dream of Rood," "Ethnic and Religious Encounters," 1A 96-135. Quiz (1). Journal (2).

Sep. 11. LESSON 05. "The Norman Conquest," "Social and Religious Order," "Continental and Insular Cultures," "Women, Courtliness and Courtly Love," and "Romance," 1A 10-20. "Arthurian Myth in the History of Britain" and "Marie de France," 1A 163-200. Quiz (1). Journal (2).

Sep. 14. LESSON 06. "The Return of English" and "Politics and Society in the Fourteenth Century," 1A 20-25. "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," 1A 200-258. Quiz (1). Journal (2).

Sep. 18. LESSON 07. "The Spread of Book Culture in the Fifteenth Century," 1A 25-26. "Sir Thomas Malory," 259-291. Quiz (1). Journal (2).

Sep 21. LESSON 08. "Geoffrey Chaucer," 1A 293-299. "The Miller’s Tale," 1A 358-374. Quiz (1). Journal (2).

Sep. 25. LESSON 09. "Chaucer: "The Wife of Bath's Prologue" and "Wife of Bath's Tale," 1A 375-403. Quiz (1). Journal (2).

Sep. 28. LESSON 10. "Vernacular Religion" and "Margery Kempe," 1A 559-591. "Christine de Pizan" and "Book of the City of Ladies," 1A 658-665. Quiz (1). Journal (2).

Oct. 02. LESSON 11. "Medieval Biblical Drama," 1A 531-559. Quiz (1). Journal (2).

Oct. 05. LESSON 12. "Mankind," 1A 631-657. Quiz (1). Journal (2).

BOOK 1B:
THE EARLY MODERN PERIOD

Oct. 16. LESSON 13. "Government Self Government," 1B 790-814. "Elizabeth 1," 1B 1114-1126. Quiz (1). Journal (2).

Oct. 19. LESSON 14. "Early Modern Period" and "The Humanist Renaissance," 1B 667-673. "Sir Thomas More" and "Utopia," 1B 714-785. Quiz (1). Journal (2).

Oct. 23. LESSON 15. "Philip Sidney," "Apology for Poetry," "The Apology and Its Time," 1B 993-1036. Quiz (1). Journal (2).

Oct. 26. LESSON 16. "The Business of Literature," 1B 682-683. "Rise of Print Culture," 1B 1079-1114. Quiz (1). Journal (2).

Oct. 30. LESSON 17. "Sir Walter Raleigh" and "Perspectives on the New World," 1B 1230-1272. Quiz (1). Journal (2).

Nov. 02. LESSON 18. "William Shakespeare," 1B 1273-1276 and "Twelfth Night," 1B 1288-1347 (better if viewed on CD).

Nov. 06. LESSON 19. "Twelfth Night," 1B 1288-1347. Quiz (1). Journal (2) (better if viewed a second time on CD).

Nov. 09. LESSON 20. "The War and the Modern Order," 1B 686-687. "The Civil War" and "Milton," 1B 1768-1798. "Aeropagitica," 1B 1814-1823. Quiz (1). Journal (2).

BOOK IC:
THE RESTORATION AND 18TH CENTURY

Nov. 13. LESSON 21. "Restoration and 18th Century," 1C 2121-2126. "Royal Society," 1C 2174-2193. Margaret Cavendish "Observations on Experimental Philosophy," 1C 2203-2205. Jonathan Swift from "Gulliver's Travels Part 3: A Voyage to Laputa," 1C 2532-2541. Quiz (1). Journal (2).

Nov. 16. LESSON 22. "Aphra Behn," 2267-2269. "Oroonoko," 1C 2278-2321. Quiz (1). Journal (2).

Nov. 20. LESSON 23. Daniel Defoe "A Journal of the Plague Year," 1C 2437-2452. "Reading Papers," 1C 2453-2498." Quiz (1). Journal (2).

Nov. 23. LESSON 24. "Swift," 1C 2498-2500. "Lady's Dressing Room" and Lady Montagu's response, 1C 2507-2512. "Gulliver's Travels Part 4: Houyhnhnms" 1C 2541-2587. Quiz (1). Journal (2).

Nov. 30. LESSON 25. "Pope," 1C 2599- 2601 "Rape of the Lock," 1C 2631-2652. "Quiz (1). Journal (2).

Dec. 04. LESSON 26. "Money, Manners and Theatrics," 1C 2126-2134. "Richard Brinsley Sheridan" and "The School for Scandal," 1C 3001-3063. Quiz (1). Journal (2).

Dec. 07. LESSON 27. "Faith and Knowledge, Thought and Feeling," 1C 2134-2136. Pope's "Essay on Man," 1C 2664-2673. "Perspectives: Mind and God," 1C 2793-2825. Quiz (1). Journal (2).

Dec. 11. LESSON 28. The American Revolution. "Revolutionary Britain Source Texts" online at englishare. Quiz (1). Journal (2).

Dec. 14. Reflective Summary Essay is due (10). See assignment and instructions in Lesson 28.

Dec. 18. Online Final Exam (15) covering all of the readings from the course. Grades reported Dec. 20.

Numbers in parenthesis at left show course credit points (for those keeping score).

How to score::
25 Quizzes =
25 points;
25 Journals =
50 points,
Essay = 10,
Final Exam = 15.
A=90+, B=80+, C=70+, D=60+
total score.

Thine Instructor

Right (always) in authentic Tudor garb is the instructor, Dr. Gutchess. Sources say that's ancient Greek Goëtes plural of Goës, meaning "sorcerer" or one who raises the dead and fixes haunted houses. However, on the maternal side (which counts more in Celtic matters) his name in truth is Wood, which is an olde British euphemism for stark raving mad! Dr. G has a PhD from the University of Notre Dame in English Literature of the Renaissance and early English drama.

Address questions and comments to: gutchess@englishare.net

Complete this course successfully, and you will understand several allusions in the Britannical anthem composed by Mr. William Hope-Jones, formerly of Eton!

Copyright Notice

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