ENGL 5244 British Literature
BRITISH LITERATURE
This course is an advanced survey of canonical (and non-canonical) British literature from the Anglo-Saxon times through to the mid-1700s, including fiction, poetry, drama, and non-fiction. Examination of how history, culture, religion, and politics shaped this literature is paramount to our studies and will help us make connections between those time periods and our own. For instance, how can our study of these literary artifacts help inform of us on our current struggles with social transformation (including gender, race, and social class), public crises (religious strife, pandemics, natural disasters), and the advancement of academic thought and intellectual development (medical, scientific, technological). In addition, this course also asks students to apply critical literary theory in order to further enhance their own personal analyses of the works, thereby making each text richer for the reader.