| CODE | ENG2007 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Milton and the Epic Voice | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | Not Applicable | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | English | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This 4-ECTS study-unit presents a provocative study which challenges long-standing assumptions underlying concepts of historical periods and comprehension of literary style. On the one hand, Spenser’s The Fairie Queene will be read closely, with references to The Shepheards Calendar. On the other hand, Milton’s Paradise Lost will be engaged with, with additional reference to Paradise Regained where and as needed. The texts for close reading will only selected books from The Fairie Queene (Books 1 and 2) and Paradise Lost (Books 4, 9 and 10). Study-unit Aims: - To help students see the relationship between classical and modern epic; - To help students see how Spenser and Milton reshape traditional forms and redefine established convention; - To enable students see how such a study-unit can cross the boundaries of literary and intellectual history while making vital contributions to both; - To enable students to comprehend how the late sixteenth century and early seventeenth century introduce a dynamic new way of thinking. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Appreciate the fine distinction between 'point of view' and 'comment'; - Attend to the way a reshaping and redefinition of a past convention not only serves to create new forms but also helps the student studying it to understand the past from a broader and more critically resourceful contemporary point of view; - Relate critically to notions of 'simile', 'catalogue', 'sacred metaphor', 'allegory' and 'parody' among others. - Relate to the difficult concept of 'tone' and how this helps the student to comprehend 'vision as structure'. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Make distinctions between different literary techniques and style; - Critique the emphasis on ‘tone’ and ‘form’ and to read texts within a robust critical framework. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Demaray, John G., Cosmic and Epic Representation (Pennsylvania: Duquesne University Press, 2009) - Esterhammer, A., Creating States: Studies in the Performative Language of John Milton and William Blake (London: University of Toronto Press, 2006) - Ferry, A., Milton's Epic Voice (Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2008) - Milton, John, Paradise Lost (London: Penguin Classics, 2003) - Shoaf, R.A., Milton: Poet of Duality (Florida: Florida University Press, 2011) - Snyder, S., Pastoral Process: Spenser, Marvell, Milton (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2012) - Spenser, Edmund, The Fairie Queene (London: Longman, 2021) - Steadman, J. M., Moral Fiction in Milton and Spenser (Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2010) - Waller, G., Edmund Spenser: A Literary Life (London: Macmillan Press, 2004) - Hadfield A., (ed.,) Edmund Spenser (London: Longman, 2013). |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Maria Frendo |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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