British Literature I

This is a survey of British literature from the Anglo-Saxon period to the eighteenth century. Our reading and discussion will give some attention to biographical issues and the historical context of the works, but the primary focus will be on the works themselves. Poetry and drama will be the genres most frequently explored, but there will be some examination of prose fiction and non-fiction prose. We will examine Old, Middle, and Modern English literature, although all Old English texts and some Middle English texts will be in translation.

British Literature Syllabus

Course Resources—Literature

• Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature
• Beowulf in Hypertext (OE and Modern Versions)
• The Canterbury Tales (Middle English and Modern English)
• Renascence Editions
• Cambridge English Renaissance Electronic Service
• Representative Poetry Online
• Project Gutenberg
• Elizabethan Sonnets
• Spenser and Sidney Bibliographies
• The Complete Poetry of Robert Herrick
• Seventeenth and Early Eighteen Century Sonnets

Last updated September 23, 2007
by Greg McNamara