- "The lunatic, the lover, and the poet/ Are of imagination all compact./ One sees more devils than vast hell can hold:/ That is the madman. The lover, all as frantic,/ Sees Helen’s beauty in a brow of Egypt./ The poet’s eye, in a fine frenzy rolling,/ Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven,/ And as imagination bodies forth/ The forms of things unknown, the poet’s pen/ Turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothing/ A local habitation and a name." (William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, V.i.7-17)
By the time this quarter is over, you may wonder if there was much difference at all between poets, lovers, and madmen in Shakespeare’s England: the poet-playwrights we’ll read are exceptionally skilled in representing the passions of love and madness. Our goal this quarter is to achieve a familiarity with and an appreciation for the dramatic literature of early modern England, which we will find to be a fascinating, though thoroughly foreign, culture.
Below you will find a schedule for the course. The readings listed beside each date are to be read prior to that class. I have asked you to buy several play texts; you will find the other plays assigned below in the readings packet I have distributed. A final group of assigned readings are from the Bedford Companion to Shakespeare. This text is available at the bookstore, but I have also placed it on reserve at the library if you prefer not to purchase it. Buying this book is an option, reading it is NOT!
Please Note: I expect you to keep up with the reading for this seminar, an expectation I will reinforce with frequent reading quizzes.
- Deborah Burks
- Office: Galvin Hall 410E
- Office Phone: 995-8252
- Home Phone: 222-7652
- Office Hours: 11-12pm T, W, Th
- 3-4pm T,Th
- Other times by appt.
I sincerely hope that you will drop by during my office hours to introduce yourself, to ask questions, to seek help in preparing your paper, or simply to be neighborly.
Required Texts : Christopher Marlowe, Dr. Faustus, Thomas Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy, William Shakespeare, Othello, Middleton & Rowley, The Changeling, John Ford, ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore, Cerasano & Wynne-Davies, eds. Renaissance Drama by Women, **Other texts will be distributed in a course packet.
Optional Purchase: Russ McDonald, The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare
Class meetings: This class will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1pm to 3pm.
Attendance: I expect you to be in class; thus, I offer the following incentive for attendance (or, more accurately, disincentive for absence): I'll subtract 2% from the final grade for the first absence, 4% for two, 8% for three, 16% for four, etc. This means that missing class lowers your final grade considerably. There are no make-ups for quizzes.
Other requirements: I will use a number of different kinds of assignments to assess your performance in this course. This is good news -- really! First, there will be a number of reading quizzes throughout the quarter; if you do the reading, these quizzes will be no problem. During the first half of the quarter you will have two library assignments designed to supplement our work in class and to familiarize you with the resources and skills you will use when you write your term paper. The term paper will be a sustained literary analysis (7-8 pages) of a Renaissance play. There will also be two exams: one in week five, the other during finals week. The final will be comprehensive. Finally, you will be responsible for leading class discussion at least once during the quarter. Of course, you are expected to be prepared for and in attendance during all class meetings.
Components of Final Grade:
- reading quizzes: 15% (collectively)
- library assignment #1: 5%
- library assignment #2: 5%
- midterm exam: 20%
- final exam: 20%
- term paper: 20%
- presentation: 15%
All work submitted for this class must, of course, be your own. If you have any questions about what constitutes Academic Misconduct, be sure to ask.
First Research Assignment: Versions 1-3
Due: Tuesday, 27 January
** Credit due: I've borrowed the framework of this assignment from Dr. John Norman **
(Note: There are four versions of this assignment; thus, not all students are writing on the same word. The four words are: fall, fox, willfully, cock. The instructions for the first 3 are identical, the 4th varies slightly due to the nature of the word and its usage in the play. Accordingly, I have printed the first three together, then have reprinted the directions for the 4th version of the assignment in their entirety.)
Goal: to raise your awareness of the nuances of early modern English
Technical skill: to develop facility with using web databases
Cognitive challenge: to develop a respect for multiple meaningsVersion 1: For this project, you will consider the meaning of the single word, "fall," as it appears in the stories told by the characters in The Four PP. (It might be important to note that there are a number of variants of the word -- "falling," for instance -- that occur in that same section of the play.)
Version 2: For this project, you will consider the meaning of the single word, "fox," as it appears in IV.iv of Gammer Gurton’s Needle. (It might be important to note the variant "bitchfox" as well.)
Version 3: For this project, you will consider the meaning of the single word, "willfully," as it appears in the Pedlar’s speech from l.424-451 of The Four PP. (It might be important to note that "will" appears a second time in that same speech.)
After researching your word, you will write a paper of 500-750 words (That is 2-3 pages, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and 10- or 12-point typeface).
Some questions to consider: What did the word mean in the 16th century? Is the word being used literally or metaphorically (or both)? Does the playwright use the word with any consistency in this play? How does the context affect the meaning of the word? Do different characters perceive the meaning of the word differently?
Further questions: Why would a character use the word this way? Is there some conflict over this word? Is a character being ironic or bending the word in a specific way? If so, is the character aware of it? (or is the playwright being ironic?)
The best papers will tell the reader something about the play; that is, a truly successful paper will offer observations about the way the word is used, which will provide insight into a character, a scene, an important interpretive problem, or a thematic crux of the play.
Resources: Your first line of investigation should be through the OED. Do a word search on the word and any related forms of the word (or related words for the thing your word signifies) that seem relevant to the play. Pay attention not only to the definition, but also to the particular examples offered by the OED. It might not be a bad idea to follow up by consulting a second dictionary (perhaps the Random House Unabridged Dictionary) to see if it sheds additional light on usages of the word. Next, you might check some of the drama and poetry databases available on-line to see if your word appeared in other literature of the period. (See the web resources section below and/or the Links page attached to my home page.) This may lead you to hypothesize interesting connections between works, or it may help you better understand the connotations of your word in the period by providing you with other contexts in which it appeared.
First Research Assignment: Version 4
Due: Tuesday, 27 January
Goal: to raise your awareness of the nuances of early modern English
Technical skill: to develop facility with using web databases
Cognitive challenge: to develop a respect for multiple meaningsFor this project, you will consider the meaning of the single word, "Cock," which appears in Gammer Gurton’s Needle as a character name. (It might be important to note that there is a second cock in the play.)
After researching your word, you will write a paper of 500-750 words (That is 2-3 pages, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and 10- or 12-point typeface).
Some questions to consider: What did the word mean in the 16th century? Is the word being used literally or metaphorically (or both)? Does the playwright use the word with any consistency in this play? How does the context affect the meaning of the word? Do different characters perceive the meaning of the word differently?
Further questions: Does the word ever appear in the play as something other than as the character’s name? When it is used to designate the character, are any of its other connotations ever invoked? Is there some conflict over this word? Is a character being ironic or bending the word in a specific way? If so, is the character aware of it? (or is the playwright being ironic?)
The best papers will tell the reader something about the play; that is, a truly successful paper will offer observations about the way the word is used, which will provide insight into a character, a scene, an important interpretive problem, or a thematic crux of the play.
Resources: Your first line of investigation should be through the OED. Do a word search on the word and any related forms of the word (or related words for the thing your word signifies -- rooster, for instance) that seem relevant to the play. Pay attention not only to the definition, but also to the particular examples offered by the OED. It might not be a bad idea to follow up by consulting a second dictionary (perhaps the Random House Unabridged Dictionary) to see if it sheds additional light on usages of the word. Next, you might check some of the drama and poetry databases available on-line to see if your word appeared in other literature of the period. (See the web resources section below and/or the Links page attached to my home page.) This may lead you to hypothesize interesting connections between works, or it may help you better understand the connotations of your word in the period by providing you with other contexts in which it appeared.
Bibliography Project
Due: Tuesday, 10 February
In order to introduce you to the library and its resources, your first written assignment will be to compile a brief bibliography of the most interesting recent articles written on one of the plays we will read this quarter. From the MLA Bibliography database, select five articles or essays. If possible, select articles written in the last 10-15 years. One of your items may be a book, but I’d prefer that you stick to articles.
Your typed bibliography should follow MLA style as summarized in the following examples. (A generic model precedes each example.)
Book:
Author’s name. Title of the book. Editor’s name (if any). Publication information.
Shakespeare, William. The Complete Works. Ed. Gary Taylor and Stanley Wells. Compact
Edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987.
Essay in an anthology/collection:
Author’s name. "Title of essay." Title of collection. Editor’s name (if any). Publication info.
Page numbers.
Belsey, Catherine. "Desire’s excess and the English Renaissance theatre: Edward II, Troilus
and Cressida, Othello." Erotic Politics: Desire on the Renaissance Stage.
Ed. Susan Zimmerman. New York: Routledge, 1992. 84-102.
Article in a scholarly journal:
Author’s name. "Article title." Journal title Vol/Issue # (Date): page numbers.
Levin, Richard. "Women in the Renaissance Theater Audience." Shakespeare Quarterly
40 (1987): 165-73.
Material/articles from electronic journals:
Author’s name. "Article title." Journal title Vol/Issue # (Date): #of pages [or
"n.pag."]. Online. Name of computer network [Internet, BITNET,
etc.]. Date of access. Available: Network address.
Readings, Bill. "Translatio and Comparative Literature: The Terror of European Humanism."
Surfaces 1.11 (Dec. 1991): 19pp. Online. Internet. 2 Feb. 1992. Available
FTP: harfang.cc.umontreal.ca.
Midterm Preparation Guide: English 562
First Hour:
Section One:I will ask you to write short statements about genre or form. I may prompt you with the name of a play and ask you to discuss the genre of the work. Alternatively, I might name a genre or form (for instance, interlude) and ask you discuss the typical features of the type with reference to one of the plays we’ve read. In this second version of the exercise you would have to decide which play(s) to discuss.
Section Two:
In this section I will give you a series of quotations and will ask you to respond with some sort of identifying information. For instance, I might ask you to name the speaker, or to identify what/whom the speaker describes in the passage, or to explain an image/pun in the passage, or to identify the dramatic situation within which the passage appears. (If I were to reproduce the Palmer’s lie, I might ask for the speaker’s name or I might ask you to say that the statement is one of the lies delivered in the lying contest at the end of The Four PP.)
Second Hour:
Section Three:
I will ask you to perform the preliminary work of a close reading on one passage (see attached pages). I will prompt you to note (and briefly discuss) everything of significance in the scene I reproduce for you starting with the dialogue (or soliloquy as the case may be) and careful attention to its linguistic and literary features (verse, prose, rhyme, meter, dialect, vocabulary, imagery, tone, didacticism, entertainment-value, appeal to particular audience, etc.). You will then also consider the scene’s dramatic elements, noting everything of significance about the setting, blocking, stage direction, properties, etc.
After you discuss everything you identify as having significance in the passage, you will complete this section of the exam by suggesting a possible essay thesis that would turn your observations into a well-supported reading of the scene and play. (I am not asking you to write the essay! I am asking you to propose a thesis that could be argued from the evidence you have uncovered.)
Sample passages distributed in class include:
Gallathea III.ii
Dr. Faustus, scene 5, lines 89-139
The Four PP, lines 1057-1096
Gammer Gurton’s Needle, I.v.1-57
Thesis and
Bibliography Due: Tuesday, 24 February
Term Paper Due: Friday, 13 March by 4pm
For this paper you may write about any of the plays we are reading for this course. It is up to you to decide how to focus your paper. You might wish to write on thematic issues or about particular characters; you may write about a single play or treat more than one.
I would encourage you to treat this paper as a cultural study, though I will not require you to do so. A cultural studies approach to this assignment would look to the primary documents in the Bedford Companion and Renaissance Drama by Women, which are artifacts of early modern English culture capable of shedding interesting light on the plays we have read. For instance, you might choose to write about Shakespeare’s Othello as a play that participates in a social debate about how husbands should treat their wives. You might argue that although Othello directly violates the English church’s official teaching (in the Homily of the State of Matrimony) that husbands should use peaceful means of cultivating their wives’ good behavior, he nonetheless acts in complete accord with the underlying assumptions of that institution that women are corruptible and weak. You would then look carefully at the language and action of the play to illustrate the connections between Othello’s behavior and the homily’s instruction. You would, of course, quote from each text to support your analysis.
Focusing the Paper: It might be helpful to discuss possible topics with me. I may be able to point you to other relevant (not to mention fascinating) cultural materials. I can also offer tips to help you focus your search for critical sources.
Once you’ve chosen your topic, you will need to further focus your analysis so that you take a definite position in your paper. In other words, you will need to develop a thesis to guide your discussion of the important aspects of the text(s). Again, feel free to consult me if you experience difficulty framing your ideas as an arguable thesis.
Bibliographical Requirement: You must become familiar with what has been written about your play(s). The initial bibliography assignment gave you a head start on this, but you will need to do more. You will need to come up with a 20-item bibliography consisting of articles or essays in books that address your play(s) in ways that are related to your work. Of these 20 items, you must pick the most pertinent 2 or 3 to order from the library and use in your paper. This is your chance to become a literary critic: you will be adding your work to the work that these other scholars have done on your topic.
Technical details: This paper should be 7-8 typed pages (use a standard 10- or 12- point font and one-inch margins). Do not settle for fewer pages; excessive length is also to be avoided. Do not include a cover page: simply type your name in the top right corner and staple the paper together. Be sure your pages are numbered and are in the right order. Proofread carefully.
Use MLA style for citations: use parenthetical references to specify the Act.scene.line numbers of quotations from the play or author/title & page to direct your reader to quotes from the nondramatic texts. Parenthetical citations should occur at the end of a sentence in which you quote or at the end of an inset block quotation; for example, (III.ii.37-42). Use endnotes only for interesting sidebar remarks and/or suggestions for further reading. Append your bibliography to the end of your text, arranging it in two sections: "Works Cited" and "Further Critical Works."
First Hour:
Section One: Identification/Short Answer (50 points)
In this section I will give you a series of quotations and will ask you to respond with some sort of identifying information. For instance, I might ask you to name the speaker, or to identify what/whom the speaker describes in the passage, or to explain an image/pun in the passage, or to identify the dramatic situation within which the passage appears. (If I were to reproduce the Palmer’s lie, I might ask for the speaker’s name or I might ask you to say that the statement is one of the lies delivered in the lying contest at the end of The Four PP.)
Second Hour:
Section Two: Essay (50 points)
I will ask you to write a well-developed essay on one of the following topics. You will need to offer a particular argument (a thesis), drawing on at least three of the plays we’ve read since the midterm for substantive support (quotes). You will be able to use your texts and notes for this section of the exam. In fact, you may do this section in advance if you wish.
A. Discuss the theme of Revenge as it is explored in at least three of the plays we’ve read. You will want to be sensitive to similarities amongst the plays; in other words, you will want to consider what conventions developed amongst revenge dramas. You will also want to account for divergences amongst the plays you discuss.
B. Discuss the significance of gender issues in the tragedies we’ve read since the midterm. (You must write on at least three of the plays.) Remember that masculinity as well as femininity is a concern for the writers of these plays.
C. Discuss the significance of social class (its function and disfunction) in the tragedies we’ve read since the midterm. (You must write on at least three of the plays.) You might begin by thinking about how carefully the plays define their characters’ social station. Remember to think of the issue both from "above" and from "below."
"Dark Moon Rising: Reading the Psychology of The Tragedy of Mariam." An essay by Kerin G. Rose on Elizabeth Cary's Mariam.
English Poetry Database search form
English Prose Drama Database search form
English Verse Drama Database search form
Shakespeare and the Globe on the Web: a research links page compiled by the Renaissance Texts Research Centre of the U of Reading, UK.
Shakespeare in Performance Database (U of Reading, UK) includes information about performance practices (early modern and modern) related to the playing of Shakespeare.
For a longer list of web resources for early modern literary and cultural studies, see the Links page on my website.