EN3B5-30 Seventeenth-Century Literature
Introductory description
EN3B5-30 Seventeenth Century: The First Modern Age of English Literature
Module aims
This module covers one of the most exciting periods of literary history. The period from 1603 to 1688 saw two revolutions, constitutional upheavals, the widening of political and literary classes, and the gradual increase in women’s authorship. The module aims to leave students with: an understanding of why people wrote in the seventeenth century and who read their work; a knowledge of canonical and non-canonical seventeenth-century literature; the ability to understand the particular genres and codes used by seventeenth-century writers; and the ability to read and interpret seventeenth-century literature that has rarely been read or analysed.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
Autumn Term
Week 1: Introduction and John Donne
- Donne’s religious poetry, including ‘Satire III’ and a selection of Holy Sonnets.
Week 2: George Herbert
- Selections of Herbert’s religious verse
Week 3: Country House Poems
- Ben Jonson, 'To Penshurst'; Aemelia Lanyer, 'The Description of Cookham' to be read alongside Francis Bacon's essays 'Of Gardens' and 'Of Building'
Week 4: Jacobean Court Masques
- Ben Jonson, ‘The Masque of Blackness’ and ‘The Masque of Queens’
Week 5: John Webster, The White Devil
READING WEEK: prepare 1500-word formative essay for submission in Week 7
Week 7: James Shirley, The Bird in a Cage
Week 8: Cavalier Poets:
- Selections of poems by Robert Herrick, Thomas Carew and Richard Lovelace.
Week 9: Early Milton
- Poems from the 1645 collection, principally ‘L’Allegro’, ‘Il Penseroso’, ‘Lycidas’ and ‘A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle’
Week 10: Andrew Marvell
- Selections of Marvell’s early lyric poetry, plus ‘An Horatian Ode’
Spring Term
Week 1: The Renaissance Essay
- Essays by Francis Bacon and Michel Montaigne
Week 2: Spiritual Autobiography
- Agnes Beaumont, The Narrative of the Persecution of Agnes Beaumont and Lawrence Clarkson, The Lost Sheep Found
Week 3: Katherine Philips and Hester Pulter
- Selections of the manuscript poetry by Philips and Pulter
Week 4: Later Milton
- Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes
Week 5: John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester
- Poetry by Rochester
READING WEEK
Week 7: Restoration Drama (I)
- William Wycherley, The Country Wife and George Etherege, The Man of Mode
Week 8: Restoration Drama (II)
- Aphra Behn, The Rover
Week 9: John Dryden, Absalom and Achitophel
Week 10: Aphra Behn, Oroonoko
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- A broad knowledge of the main issues in the study of seventeenth-century literature across a variety of genres (e.g. masque, verse satire, essays).
- Students will be able to critically analyse the different written mediums used by writers in the period (i.e. print and manuscript) and the different locations (e.g. the court, country, the playhouse) where their work was seen or read.
- They will understand the well-established critical debates around how different seventeenth-century writers engaged with their particular historical (e.g. political, religious and theological, social or literary) contexts.
Indicative reading list
Reading lists can be found in Talis
Subject specific skills
No subject specific skills defined for this module.
Transferable skills
No transferable skills defined for this module.
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 18 sessions of 1 hour (6%) |
| Seminars | 18 sessions of 1 hour (6%) |
| Private study | 264 hours (88%) |
| Total | 300 hours |
Private study description
Reading & research
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A
| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment component |
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| Assessed Essay 1 | 30% | Yes (extension) | |
|
2500-word essay |
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Reassessment component is the same |
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Assessment component |
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| Assessed Essay 2 | 30% | Yes (extension) | |
|
2500-word essay |
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Reassessment component is the same |
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Assessment component |
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| Final Essay | 40% | Yes (extension) | |
|
3000-word essay written in response to year-group specific titles. |
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Reassessment component is the same |
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Feedback on assessment
Written feedback uploaded to Tabula and individual meetings with tutor.
Courses
This module is Optional for:
- Year 3 of UENA-Q300 Undergraduate English Literature
- Year 3 of UENA-QP36 Undergraduate English Literature and Creative Writing
- Year 4 of UENA-QP37 Undergraduate English Literature and Creative Writing with Intercalated Year
- Year 4 of UENA-Q301 Undergraduate English Literature with Intercalated Year
- Year 3 of UENA-VQ32 Undergraduate English and History
- Year 4 of UENA-QW35 Undergraduate English and Theatre Studies with Intercalated Year
- Year 4 of UFIA-QW25 Undergraduate Film and Literature
This module is Option list A for:
- Year 3 of UCXA-QQ37 Undergraduate Classics and English
- Year 3 of UFIA-QW25 Undergraduate Film and Literature
This module is Option list B for:
- Year 3 of UTHA-QW34 Undergraduate English and Theatre Studies
This module is Option list C for:
- Year 3 of UPHA-VQ72 Undergraduate Philosophy and Literature
- Year 4 of UPHA-VQ73 Undergraduate Philosophy and Literature with Intercalated Year