ENGB27

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ENG B27: Charting Literary History I

Lectures: Mondays 1 – 3

Tutorials: Monday afternoons

Fall 2023

SW 128

Professor: Kara Gaston (she/her)

Professor’s Office Hours: Mondays 12:30pm – 1 and 3 – 4pm

[email protected]

Zoom by appointment

TAs: Wynn Martin (he/him)

[email protected]

Bard Swallow (they/them)

[email protected]

Lexi Atiya (she/her)

[email protected]

Tutorial Locations:

TUT01: HW402

TUT02: HW308

TUT03: HW402

TUT04: HLB108
TA Office Hours:

Bard Swallow: Mondays, 5-6pm, in-person in the TA office (HW313)

Wynn Martin: Mondays, 3-4pm, in-person in the TA office (HW313)

Lexi Atiya: Thursdays, 4-5pm, on Zoom (link here

Links to an external site.

If you can't make the TA office hours, you can email your TAs to set up
an appointment for a Zoom meeting!

Course Description
An introduction to the historical and cultural developments that have shaped the study
of literature in English before 1700. Focusing on the medieval, early modern, and
Restoration periods, this course will examine the notions of literary history and the
literary “canon” and explore how contemporary critical approaches impact our readings
of literature in English in specific historical and cultural settings.

In 2023, our loose theme for this course will be “other worlds.” We will focus on texts
that depict lands and realms beyond everyday experience, like fairylands, enchanted
islands, and the garden of Eden. In what ways do these “other worlds” help poets to
imagine an escape from the economic, social, and cultural pressures of their times?
How did the language of “other worlds” factor into colonialist and exploitative
encounters? In what ways might the language of “other worlds” be transformed and
reclaimed by different authors?

Learning Objectives
● Become familiar with literary forms and genres of the pre-modern period.
● Be able to “chart” pre-modern literature on an historical timeline.
● Develop questions and arguments about premodern literature.
● Reflect upon the relation between literary texts and their historical contexts.
Books
--The Lais of Marie de France, trans. Glynn Burgess, Penguin, 1999. ISBN-13 :
978-0140447590
--William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Folger Shakespeare Library Edition, eds. Barbara
Mowat and Paul Werstine, Simon & Schuster, 2015 ISBN - 13: 9781501130014
--John Milton, Paradise Lost, Penguin Classics, 2003. ISBN - 13: 9781501130014
--Optional: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, Second Edition, eds. Robert
Boenig and Andrew Taylor, Broadview, 2012. ISBN-13: 978-1554811069 (Our reading
from Chaucer will be available as scans but this a nice edition that you might like using,
especially if you have an interest in medieval literature.)
--Hester Pulter readings will be online at https://pulterproject.northwestern.edu/#poems
Links to an external site.
.
--All other readings will be available as scans on Quercus under Files

Lecture Attendance and Participation


Regular attendance at lectures is highly recommended in order to get the best
preparation possible for exams and essays. (And in order to learn as much as possible!)
In lectures we go over background and context for the readings, do short in-class
writings, and have conversations about passages and themes in order to practice close
reading and literary analysis. Students are encouraged to ask questions and share
ideas. Coming to lecture is an important way to get to grips with the challenging
readings in this course.
If you have an emergency or illness and miss class, you will be able to find each day’s
slides on Quercus after class. I will also share notes by request in emergency situations.
However, this is just a back-up plan and not a long-term substitute for attending class.

Tutorial Participation
Participation in tutorial is very important. This is your chance to work on in-depth issues
and to ask questions. Your TAs are there to help you succeed in the course and the
more you are involved in tutorial, the more they can help. Tutorial participation marks
are assessed based on both oral and written participation.
Tutorials will not meet on the first day of class or after the midsemester exam.
Otherwise, they will meet each week unless otherwise indicated on the schedule of
readings and assignments.

Assignments
SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS
Please submit all assignments online at the class Quercus site. In Quercus, navigate to
Assignments. Please upload your paper as a Word document, not a PDF. All
assignments should be in double-spaced Times New Roman font.
EXTENSIONS AND LATE ASSIGNMENTS
Life happens and it can be difficult to get assignments in on time. We will have a class
sign-up sheet for short extensions on the two response papers. You can sign up for an
automatic extension of up to four days, you just need to sign up before the paper
deadline. Further extensions may be granted for exceptional emergencies. If you
require an emergency extension, please contact Prof Gaston as soon as possible.

Late assignments without an extension granted will have a ½ letter grade deduction per
day late (A becomes A-, 87 becomes 82, etc). You may submit late assignments up to
one week after the final deadline (so the deadline + one week) has passed. After that,
please speak to Prof Gaston about completing the assignment.

RESPONSE PAPER ONE


A short (1.5 to 2 page) page writing assignment to help you “warm up,” practice writing
about the course material, and prepare for exams. We will provide prompts to help you
get started. Although this paper is short, it should have a strong thesis clearly stated in a
brief introductory paragraph; supporting paragraphs that directly quote and analyze
evidence in support of the thesis; and a brief conclusion that recaps your argument.

RESPONSE PAPER TWO


For this assignment, you will have the choice to write a regular response essay like
response one or to respond to the course material creatively. Options for a creative
response will include doing a creative translation of our course material into a modern
genre or setting, writing a journal entry from the perspective of a character we have
encountered, or describing how you would “stage” Shakespeare’s Tempest and why.

MIDSEMESTER EXAM

Download MIDSEMESTER EXAM

An in-class, one-hour test designed to review the first part of the course and prepare for
the final. The exam will consist of short-answer questions and one response essay
based on your choice from several prompts.

FINAL EXAM

Download FINAL EXAM

The final exam will cover the entire semester, but the emphasis will be placed upon
material from after reading week. The format will be very similar to the midsemester
exam but longer, with more response questions and two response essays, both based
on your choices out of several prompts.
Grade Breakdown
Tutorial Participation...............................10%
Response Paper One...................................15%
Response Paper Two...............................15%
Midsemester Exam.................................25%
Final Exam..........................................35%
Office Hours
Please make a note of the office hours listed for Prof Gaston and your TA. You should
feel free
to drop by during office hours to discuss the course content, preparing for assignments,
and other questions related to the course and premodern literature. We want to help!
Zoom office hours with Prof Gaston are also available by appointment. Please just email
to set up a meeting.
Academic Integrity
I expect that all work you submit to me will be your own, prepared specifically for this
class. If you incorporate the ideas of other individuals into your work, those references
must be properly acknowledged and cited. Plagiarism is a serious offence and will be
treated as such by me and by the University of Toronto.
The use of generative artificial intelligence tools or apps for assignments in this course,
including tools like ChatGPT and other AI writing or coding assistants, is prohibited. If in
doubt about a specific tool or app, contact Prof Gaston or your TA.
Accommodation
AccessAbility Services staff (located in Rm SW302, Science Wing) are available by
appointment to assess specific needs, provide referrals and arrange appropriate
accommodations. Please contact 416-287-7560 (tel/TTY) or email
[email protected] for more information. The sooner we know your needs the
quicker we can assist you in achieving your learning goals in this course.

Schedule of Readings and Assignments


Sept 11: Introductions, The Ruin
Download The Ruin

NO TUTORIALS
Sept 18: The Wanderer, The Seafarer
Download The Wanderer, The Seafarer

TUTORIALS BEGIN
Sept 25: Marie de France, Guigemar, Lanval, Yonec
Download Guigemar, Lanval, Yonec
Oct 2: Sir Orfeo
Download Sir Orfeo

**Response One Due**


Oct. 9: READING WEEK
Oct 16: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue
Download The Wife of Bath’s Prologue
[CW sexual violence]
Oct 23: CANCELLED
Oct 30: MIDSEMESTER EXAM IN-CLASS - No Tutorials
Nov 6: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Wife of Bath’s Tale
Download The Wife of Bath’s Tale
[CW sexual violence]
Nov 13: William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Acts 1 –3 [CW sexual violence]
Nov 20: William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Acts 4 –5
Nov 27: Hester Pulter, “Universal Dissolution,” “The Revolution,” “The Center,”
“Heliotropians” [Online at: https://pulterproject.northwestern.edu/#poems
Links to an external site.
]

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