EN228 Seventeenth Century: The First Modern Age of English Literature

Convenor: Dr Elizabeth Clarke

This module was formerly named Seventeenth Century Literature and Culture.

This module is a Pathway Approved Option for the English Pathway and one of the Distributional Requirement options for the Theory, World and North American Pathways for 2012/13.

This module covers one of the most exciting periods of English history. The seventeenth century in England saw two revolutions, huge constitutional changes, the widening of the political and literary classes, and the gradual acceptance of women as authors. This module aims to trace these political and social changes through the literature of the seventeenth century, and consider how these changes themselves transformed literary writing in English. In the process it reads well-known literature in new and exciting ways and looks at some writing that is marginal to the literary canon.

Tutors

Elizabeth Clarke H541 In the second half of term the lecture will revert to Mondays (522) although the seminar will still be on Thursday at 10 in 541. The lecture on Monday February 20th will be on Wycherley's 'The Country Wife' and Etherege's 'The Man of Mode'. It will be by Tess Grant and she can only do 10am--sorry it is so early. On the 27rh rhw lecture will be on Behn's 'Thw Rover' by John West and that will be at 11am.

Aims of the Course

1. To end up with a real understanding of why people wrote in the seventeenth century, and who read their work
2. To acquire knowledge of seventeenth-century writing, both canonical and non-canonical
3. To develop skill in reading the particular genres and codes of seventeenth-century writing
4. To enjoy reading seventeenth-century writing no-one else has read.

 

Teaching Methods

1. Lectures (weekly, Wednesday 11am, 541)
2. Seminars (weekly, Thursday 10am, 541)
3. Directed learning (smaller assignments as set by the seminar tutor)
4. Two coursework essays, with lots of guidance from tutors (see their office hours)

 

Reading for the Course over the summer

The course is done chronologically in historical periods to enable the comparison of different kinds of texts within a particular context. The following books cover the seventeenth century, and will give you a broad contextual base for your literary studies. You should to beg, borrow or buy one of them and use it as a reference throughout the course.
This year the quiz is not compulsory but you might like to see which information is useful......so look at it.
Mark Kishlansky, A Monarchy Transformed: Britain 1603-1714 (Penguin, 1996) (reasonably-priced paperback, c. £8)
Barry Coward, The Stuart Age: England 1603-1714 (Longman, 2003) (more expensive paperback, at c. £25)
David L. Smith, A History of the Modern British Isles 1603-1707 (Blackwell, 1998) (paperback, c. £20)
Simon Schama, A History of Britan 2: The British Wars 1603-1776 (BBC Books, 2003) (paperback, c. £11)
 
As we start the course, you would benefit from knowing about the following topics. We suggest you make notes on these in advance so you can concentrate on the texts later. You will need to know about these in order to understand the texts we will be reading.
  • The struggle between Arminianism and Calvinism in the seventeenth century (cf Smith, pp. 36-9, 91-8; Kishlansky p. 127 ff)
  • The Personal Rule of Charles I (cf Smith, pp. 77-104; Kishlansky p. 113 ff)
  • The Civil War (cf Smith, pp. 105-64; Kishlansky, pp. 134-86)
  • Persecution of Puritans in the Restoration (cf Smith, pp. 236-40; Kishlansky ch. 9, p. 213 ff)
  • The Popish Plot/The Exclusion Crisis (cf Smith, pp. 245-66; Kishlansky, ch. 10, p. 240 ff)

Get interested in the Seventeenth Century - it's full of fascinating stories. An Instance of the Fingerpost by Ian Pears, or Rose Tremain's Restoration are both novels that give you a feeling for seventeenth-century England. Entirely optional but fun if you have nothing to read on the beach.

 

Follow the links for general bibliographies and a week-by-week list of primary and secondary reading.

There are quite a few scanned downloads available to you for this course via the library. There is a mix of primary and secondary texts here, so you could get ahead with reading your reading now.

 

Lectures

Wednesday 11am-12 noon, 541

Assessment

Two essays of 2,500 words and a two-hour seen paper examination.