ENG6562 - The Renaissance II: Love, Body and Soul

Objectives:

On successful completion of this module students will be able to:

(1) demonstrate detailed knowledge and understanding of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, (in translation) and a range of Renaissance texts written in the context of imitation of the Classics and not previously covered in the core module Literary Period: The Renaissance;
(2) discuss and analyse Renaissance love poetry in relation to relevant intellectual and cultural contexts and literary conventions of the period;
(3) discuss and analyse different ways in which secular, spiritual, religious and physical love have been represented in poetry;
(4) write critically and sensitively on topics of their choice, drawing on a wide range of reading and showing awareness of critical debate.

Content:

The module will explore the significance of the term ‘Renaissance’ (rebirth) in terms of imitation in English of the Classics and of more recent European material. It will inquire into the level of influence of Graeco-Roman and European writers on the development of poetic genres in Britain in the Renaissance. The sonnet will be examined in the light of Petrarch’s legacy. The Ovidian epyllion will be studied alongside extracts from Ovid, the principal source for this genre. Students will read Ovid’s Metamorphoses, some Platonic material, and other relevant texts. Literary features such as the iconic and the emblematic will be studied. The dominating theme will be love, both spiritual and physical. The dynamic created by the fusion of pagan and Christian material will be explored. Treatment of the earthly and the bodily will be considered in conjunction with conceptions of the ideal. Students will be encouraged to seek out the use of Ovid, both overt and obscure, in Renaissance texts, and to consider the cultural implications of these and other imitations. All texts not written in English will be studied in translation.

Learning and Teaching Information:

Seminars
Contact hours 24
Number of groups 1

Assessment: