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ENGL 4342/5342: Seventeenth Century
Spring 1998
MWF 12:00 p.m. - 12:50 p.m.
Irby 304		Dr. R.-J. Frontain
Office: Irby 421
Hours:MWF 9-10, 11-12
TR 10:45-12:15, 1:30-2:30

Texts


Course Description

The seventeenth century was that pivotal moment in English cultural history when the pre-modern, hierarchically organized structures of religion and government collapsed, giving way to the nascent individualistic, intensively interiorized, and democratically organized structures which would emerge to dominate the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Focus will be upon the poetries of John Donne and Ben Jonson as two competing ways of reimagining the place of the self--particularly the poetic self--in a world where hierarchy has lost, or is fast losing, its power.


Schedule of Readings and Assignments

Unit I: Caught between Two Worlds
Monday, January 12Introduction to course
Wednesday, January 14Donne, "Holy Sonnet: Show me dear Christ" (288)
"Satyre 3" (29)
Friday, January 16Jonson, "To Penshurst" (21)
Unit II: The Wit of the Great Amphibium
Monday, January 19Donne, "Elegy: To His Mistress Going to Bed" (12)
Songs and Sonnets (88-138)
Wednesday, January 21
Friday, January 23
Monday, January 26Donne, Anniversaries (204-31): Mediating Two Worlds
Wednesday, January 28
Friday, January 30
Monday, February 2Donne, "Good Friday, 1613" (241)
Wednesday, February 4Donne, Holy Sonnets (173-80, 270, 288-89)
Friday, February 6Donne, Hymns (283, 332-33)
Monday, February 9Donne, Devotions (333-50)
Wednesday, February 11
Friday, February 13Donne, "Death's Duel" (401-17)
Monday, February 16Examination #1
Unit III: Bright Shoots of Everlastingness
Wednesday, February 18Herbert (3-70)
Friday, February 20
Monday, February 23
Wednesday, February 25
Friday, February 27
Monday, March 2Vaughan (139-80)
Wednesday, March 4
Friday, March 6
Monday, March 9Crashaw (71-91)
Wednesday, March 11
Friday, March 13Paper topics discussed.
Monday, March 16Browne, Religio Medici (59-132)
Wednesday, March 18нннннннннннннннннннннннннннннннннннннн(133-61)
Friday, March 20
Spring Recess
Unit IV: Once Good, Ever Great
Monday, March 30Jonson (3-93)
Wednesday, April 1
Friday, April 3Examination #2
Monday, April 6Jonson
Wednesday, April 8
Friday, April 10
Monday, April 13Herrick (103-55)
Wednesday, April 15
Friday, April 17
Monday, April 20Lovelace, Suckling, Carew
Wednesday, April 22
Friday, April 24Paper Due
Monday, April 27Marvell (93-137)
Wednesday, April 29
Friday, May 1
Monday, May 4Bacon, Essays
Wednesday, May 6
Friday, May 8Classroom Recitations
Wednesday, May 13Final Examination (11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)


Course Policies

  1. The final grade will be computed as follows: Exam #1 (20%), Exam #2 (20%), final exam (25%), recitation (10%), and paper (25%). Any penalties for excessive absence or tardiness will be deducted from the final average.

  2. Be in class, be on time, and be prepared. Stone cold sober, the instructor finds this material absolutely fascinating, and his feelings will be hurt by students who do not rise to meet his level of enthusiasm. Two tardies equal one absence; after five absences a student may be dropped for non-attendence or see his/her final grade penalized two points for every absence beyond the fifth.

  3. Examinations will combine passages to be identified and analyzed with essay questions that ask the student to consider the larger cultural issues offered by the literature of this period. Always write legibly and grammatically: the grader cannot award credit for what he cannot make out or understand. The syllabus allows you to know the dates of exams in advance, so schedule other activities accordingly. Because of the difficulty of the instructor's framing multiple questions from a limited amount of material, missed examinations cannot be made up except under the most pressing of circumstances (e.g., emergency hospitalization) and with the instructor's prior consent. In the event of an emergency, phone the instructor at 450-5122 where voice mail picks up after the fourth ring if he is out of the office or on another line.

  4. An automatic WP will be awarded students until the day after the first exam has been graded and returned. After the first exam has been returned, the withdrawal grade will reflect the student's average as of the date on the withdrawal card. It is always wise to speak with an instructor before withdrawing from a course to make certain that both you and the instructor fully understand your circumstances.

  5. An undergraduate paper of 1,250 to 2,250 words (5-7 typewritten pages) making use of a minimum of three (3) secondary sources, or a graduate paper of 3,000 to 4,500 words (10-15 typewritten pages) making use of a minimum of seven (7) secondary sources, is required for the course. The paper will offer a complete analysis of one poem not discussed in class during the semester, placing that poem within the context of a larger issue raised by the course. Be certain that you love the poem that you choose, for this will also be the poem that you recite on the last day of class. Students should discuss their paper topic with the instructor well in advance of the paper due date.

  6. Plagiarism, which is any unacknowledged linguistic or ideational indebtedness, will result in failure of the paper and a zero (0) being averaged in for that 25% of the final grade. Protect yourself by keeping all drafts of your paper; when using a word processor, print out the paper in its various stages of development.

  7. Cheating on an examination--whether by taking advantage of inappropriate assistance or by assisting a fellow student--will result in the failure of the complete examination and a zero (0) being averaged in for that portion of the final grade. Avoid even the appearance of impropriety: do not talk with anyone during the exam, do not look idly at someone else's paper, and keep all books and notes closed and out of both your and anyone else's view under your seat until all papers have been collected.

  8. Keep track of your absences and tardies. Likewise, keep all graded exams and papers in a safe place just in case you need to challenge the instructor's record of your grades. You can compute your average by using the following conversion charts.

    A=90-99
    B=80-89
    C=70-79
    D=60-69
    F=00-59
    Sample unit numerical conversion:
    C+/B-=79
    C+=78
    C+/C=77
    C/C+=76
    C=75
    C/C-=74
    C-/C=73
    C-=72
    C--=71
    C-/D+=70

  9. "The University of Central Arkansas adheres to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you need accommodation under this act due to a disability, contact the Office of Disability Support Services at 450-3135."