ENG6562 - Elizabethan Love Poetry

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
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
discuss and analyse Renaissance love poetry in relation to relevant intellectual and cultural contexts and literary conventions of the period
discuss and analyse different ways in which secular, spiritual, religious and physical love have been represented in poetry
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 introduce students to sonnets and longer Ovidian poems of the Elizabethan period, with consideration of cultural contexts such as the royal Court and the Inns of Court. The module will explore the significance of the term ‘Renaissance’ (rebirth) in terms of imitation in English of the Classics and of near-contemporary European material. Literary features such as the iconic and the emblematic will be studied. The dominating theme will be love, both spiritual and physical. 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:

Fortightly sessions will consist of tutor presentations, student presentations and group discussion. Guided independent learning will be carried out via handouts and Moodle.

Lecture/workshop
Contact hours: 24
Intended Group size: 25

Independent learning
Hours: 176

Further details relating to assessment
The presentation will be modelled on an academic conference paper. The essay will be a sustained scholarly argument analysing core texts in the context of making a case.

Other relevant matters
Lecture/workshops will consist of lectures on core texts, with student discussion in response to the lectures and to preparatory reading. Students will practice presentations in class, for immediate peer and tutor feedback. Learning and teaching will be supported with weekly guidance and materials on Moodle.

Assessment: