ENG 102: English Literature

Overview

In this course students will be exposed to some of the greatest works in English literature, and to the men and women who authored those works. Obviously we cannot study hundreds of works of literature representing thousands of years of literary history in an eight-week course. But this course will introduce students to the subject and whet their appetites to read more good literature in the weeks, months, and years to follow completion of this course—because the enjoyment of literature is a lifelong pursuit.

Students will read a range of sources taken from the traditional "canon" of English Literature, including great authors such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Jane Austen. Students will practice and develop their writing and analytical skills through written assignments which draw on both the assigned texts and secondary source material. In addition, students will have the opportunity to develop their critical thinking skills by participating with their fellow students in discussions in the course Forum, where they will address themes and issues highlighted in the essay assignments.

Introduction

Much of the material to be studied during this course will be accessed on the Internet, but students will also use two text books, Michael Alexander’s History of English Literature and Nicholas Marsh’s How to Begin Studying English Literature. Alexander’s text provides a general overview about the larger culture into which our chosen texts and authors fit, while Marsh’s text introduces basic skills in reading and analyzing literary works.

During this course, students will acquire a beginning knowledge of some of the most significant texts and authors in English, all of which have played a major part in the history of English Literature, and have also fascinated generations of readers. Students will also gain an understanding of the major genres in literature to which these works belong—for example tragedy, satire, the novel—and learn about important critical responses to these works. They will also enhance their critical thinking and writing skills, and develop criteria for assessing new works that they encounter in the future. As a result, students’ reading and understanding and enjoyment of English Literature, both past and present, will be enormously enhanced.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Recognize and describe some of the greatest works and writers in English literature, ranging from the medieval through to the contemporary period.
• Recognize and describe some of the major genres of English literature, including tragedy, the novel, narrative poetry, and satire.
• Make use of technical terms such as theme, character, meter, rhyme etc, to analyze and explain literary texts.
• Analyze the ways in which images work in literary texts, both in detailed commentary on individual phrases and lines, and in larger units such as poems and plays.
• Recognize and describe major themes in literature as exemplified in the texts you study: such as love and marriage, man’s relationship with God, and the influence of contemporary politics on literature.
• Relate a piece of writing to its literary and historical context.
• Explain and critically evaluate the function and importance of the "canon" of English literature.

Required Texts
ENG 102 texts are available from the JIU/MBS bookstore