(Included free with the Anthology if purchased at the Bookstore) Norton Anthology of English Literature.Texts: (texts are available at McGill Bookstore): Class discussions (especially in small weekly conference groups) and written assignments will help students develop skills of interpretation and communication. This course gives students a knowledge of early literature in English that prepares them for more advanced and specialized study in the department. What especially is the relation between the aesthetic and the ethical: does/should literature have a moral purpose? At the same time, we will explore the relation of literature to religion, politics, and culture broadly, to see why in different periods people read and write literature, and to follow the changing ideas of the writer and his/her role in society. It introduces students to the early history of English literature, while reflecting upon the meaning of tradition, literary history, the idea of a “canon”, and especially the concept of “Englishness.” We will trace the development through time of specific literary forms and genres, including lyric, elegy, epic, satire, sonnet, romance, and pastoral. This course considers these questions by looking at the development of major non-dramatic works in English from the Anglo-Saxon period to the mid-18 th century. Yet during the recent pandemic, many others found literary works of all kinds essential, not just as a form of escape from a reduced reality into another world, but also as creative and imaginative stimuli that kept us active and engaged humans. Prerequisite: Required course open only to English Majors and Minors.ĭescription: Why does anyone write literature? Even more importantly for us, why and how does anyone read it? Why do you study it? Many people, some of whom you will know, will argue that studying literature, above all English literature, is irrelevant and useless today.
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