Fall 2006
English 306: Seventeenth Century Literature; 3 credit hours
MWF 12-1 p.m., Belk 219
Course Description: A course in seventeenth century British literature with an emphasis on Ben Jonson, John Donne, and George Herbert.
Course Rationale: While 1600-1660 was one of the most turbulent times in English political history, culminating with the execution of Charles I in 1649 and the emergence of Oliver Cromwell as the Lord Protectorate of the Commonwealth, this period also reflects a literary transition from the highly traditional poetry of Spenser, Shakespeare, and later Ben Jonson, to what has come to be known as metaphysical poetry, verse based on startlingly new similes and metaphors and reflecting the expanding view of the world as realized in new geographic, scientific, and philosophic discoveries and ideas. In addition, as seen in the poetry of John Donne and George Herbert, this period reflects the flowering of religious poetry that is both earnestly devout and artistically excellent.
Required:
Ben Jonson and the Cavalier Poets, Ed. by Hugh Maclean (Norton)
John Donne's Poetry, 2nd edition, Ed. Arthur L. Clements (Norton)
George Herbert & the 17th Century Religious Poets, Ed. Mario A. DiCesare (Norton)
The Cambridge Companion to English Poetry, Donne to Marvell (Cambridge)
Strongly recommended:
The Norton Anthology of English Literature, 8th edition. Vol. 1 (this contains a selection of Shakespeare's sonnets and the two plays we will study, Jonson's Volpone and Webster's The Duchess of Malfi; most of you will already have this text, but if you don't, just get copies of the two plays).
A Handbook to Literature, Eds. William Harmon and C. Hugh Holman.
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th ed), Ed. Joseph Gibaldi.
Also, see Oxford Reference Online www.oxfordreference.com for some basic reference assistance. It contains desktop access to 100 key Oxford dictionaries and reference works. The Core Collection brings together 100 language and subject dictionaries and reference works - containing well over 60,000 pages - into a single cross-searchable resource. Also, see the Oxford English Dictionary, the grandfather of all dictionaries at http://dictionary.oed.com
Course Objectives: The central objective of this course is to introduce you to 17th century British literature, specifically through a study of lyric poetry. Because such poetry is often a reflection of the society in which it is produced, a secondary objective will be a general knowledge of the lives of Ben Jonson, John Donne, and George Herbert as well the political, social, and religious temper of seventeenth century England. A final objective will be an examination the extensive use of the Bible in the poetry of this period.
Additionally, there are several questions we will consider as we work through the literature of this period, including, but not limited to:
1. What are the unique characteristics of Elizabethan poetry, particularly Skakespeare's sonnets?
2. What are the unique characteristics of the poetry of Ben Jonson and his followers, the so-called "Tribe of Ben"?
3. What are the unique characteristics of the poetry of John Donne, particularly those qualities often referred to as metaphysical?
4. What are the unique characteristics of the poetry of George Herbert and the other religious poets he influenced? What makes such poetry succeed both as an expression of faith and art?
5. How pivotal is a knowledge of Scripture when reading, analyzing, and interpreting these writers? What is their "view" of Scripture? Which biblical texts most inform their poetry?
6. What view of the relationship between passion and reason, flesh and spirit, body and soul, matter and spirit is reflected in the work of these writers? Are these view biblical?
1. That you read and analyze selected sonnets and poems of the several Elizabethan writers.
2. That you read and analyze the poetry of Ben Jonson, John Donne, George Herbert, and other selected 17th century British poets.
3. That you learn to describe the literary characteristics of traditional British lyric poetry.
4. That you learn to describe the literary characteristics of 17th century metaphysical poetry.
5. That you write two books reviews concerning the material and/or writers covered in the course.
6. That you write a well-researched literary analysis.
7. That you engage in research via the Internet and on-ground libraries.
8. That you utilize email to extend class discussion, to communicate with me, and to perform assigned small group work.
9. That you turn in all important written assignments via email attachments, on diskette, or via the course digital drop box available via Blackboard..
Week 1: Course introduction; Shakespeare's sonnets and Elizabethan poetry
Week 2: Ben Jonson's poetry and Volpone
Week 3: The "tribe of Ben" and the Cavalier poets
TEST 1: Sept. 20
Weeks 4-7: The poetry of John Donne
The Duchess of Malfi, John Webster
TEST 2: Oct. 11
Weeks 8-11: The poetry of George Herbert
TEST 3: Nov. 6
Weeks 12-14: Other metaphysical poets; poets in the line of "Holy Herbert"
TEST 4: FINAL EXAM, Dec. 13, 2006, 8:00 a.m.
- There will be four tests or in class essays that constitute 40% of your grade in the course.
- A book review of The Cambridge Companion to English Poetry, Donne to Marvell will count 10%. Due by midnight Sept. 29 via email attachment or Digital Drop Box in Blackboard.
- A second book review of a significant critical study related to the course (see the Bibliography) will count 10%. Due by midnight Nov. 17 via email attachment or Digital Drop Box in Blackboard.
- You will write one analytical paper (1,250 to 1,500 words) on some aspect of our studies. This paper will count 20% of your final grade; due by midnight Dec. 1 via email attachment or Digital Drop Box in Blackboard.
- The remaining 20% will come from your class participation, discussion, quizzes, regular attendance, homework, reserve and supplemental reading, group work and various short writing assignments; a significant part of this grade will come from Web site searches.
- There are a total of 1000 pts possible in the course. Final grades will be compiled using the following guidelines:
1000-900 A to A-
899-800 B+ to B-
799-700 C+ to C-
699-600 D+ to D-
599-0 F
Library: All students are encouraged to take advantage of the services and resources available from
the library. You can search the online catalog and the library’s databases by going to
http://www.montreat.edu/library/. Select “Catalog” to search the online catalog or “Electronic
Resources” to search the databases. The catalog lists all of the books in the Montreat College library
as well as the holdings of five other colleges. You may check out books from all of these libraries.
In addition, you may request books or journal articles via interlibrary loan. From the online catalog,
you can also check on reserve materials by selecting “Reserve Desk” and searching by instructor
name or course name.
Bibliography: In addition to the books listed below that are on three-day reserve, the library (or the MCLN) holds many journals that may be of help in doing research for this course. Of much interest to you, however, will be the multiple resources available via electronic databases, especially JSTOR.
Barish, Jonas A. Ben Jonson: A Collection of Critical Essays.
Bloom, Harold, ed.John Donne and the 17th Century Poets.
---------. Shakespeare's Sonnets and Poems.
Bush, Douglas. English Literature in the Earlier Seventeenth Century, 1600-1660.
Carey, John. John Donne: Life, Mind, and Art.
Clarke, Elizabeth.Theory and Theology in George Herbert's Poetry.
Corns, T. N., ed. The Cambridge Companion to English Poetry: Donne to Marvell.
Davies, Godfrey. The Early Stuarts, 1603-1660.
deF. Lord, George, ed. Andrew Marvell: A Collection of Critical Essays.
Duane, O.B. Shakespeare and Love Sonnets.
Evans, G. Blakemore.Elizabethan-Jacobean Drama: The Theatre in its Time.
Ford, Boris. ed. From Donne to Marvell: Volume 3 of the New Pelican Guide to English Literature.
Gardner, Helen. John Donne.
Harp, Richard, ed.The Cambridge Companion to Ben Jonson .
Kay, W. David.Ben Jonson: A Literary Life.
Kermode, Frank. Discussions of John Donne.
Reid, David. The Metaphysical Poets.
Swisher, Olarice, Readings on the Sonnets.
Tillyard, E. M. W. The Elizabethan World Picture.
Tuve, Rosemond. A Reading of George Herbert.
Vendler, Hennessy. The Art of Shakespeare's Sonnets.
Wallerstein, Ruth C. Richard Crashaw: A Study in Style and Poetic Development.
Walton, Izaak. Lives of John Donne.
White, Helen. The Metaphysical Poets.
Williamson, George. Six Metaphysical Poets: A Reader's Guide.
Academic Integrity: For all individual assignments students are expected to present their own work;
documentation of research for your literary analysis must follow the specific criteria as outlined in the
MLA Handbook for Writer of Research Paper or MLA-Style Citations of Electronic Sources. Cases of
academic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating and plagiarism, will result in either of failure
of the assignment or of the course. For the college's policy on this issue, please click academic integrity.
Final Comments: This syllabus and other details about the course, including your grades for the
course, are available through the college's online platform, Moodle. Please feel free to come by my
office in McGowan Center 107, contact me at extension 3819, or email me at dking@montreat.edu
if you need help with any aspect of the course.
All students are encouraged to take advantage of the resources available in the Writing Center, located
adjacent to the Bell Library computer lab. See
Last updated November 10, 2006