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    Overview

    A study of major English authors in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries from More to Milton.

    In this paper we will study the major influences on and the mainstays of English Renaissance literature, including Donne, Marlowe, Shakespeare, and Milton. This period was one of tremendous upheavals and tremendous possibilities. The emergence of the printing press began to shape the way that writers imagined themselves and sparked the first 'information revolution'. The first purpose-built permanent theatres in London were opened. Religion and church governance were pressing national issues: England broke with the Catholic church under Henry VIII, was forcibly re-aligned under Mary Tudor and became Protestant again under Queen Elizabeth. Rulers throughout Europe consolidated their power and attempted to rein in powerful lords, but by the mid-seventeenth century the English parliament took the unprecedented (and hitherto unimaginable) step of executing their king.
     

    In the midst of this tumult and upheaval, the writers we will study made their names, renewing old forms and forging new ones. Works studiedwill be analysed in context to show the cultural, social, political, religious and ideological currents of the time that motivated the creation of this exceptional literature.

    About this paper

    Paper title Renaissance Literature
    Subject English
    EFTS 0.15
    Points 18 points
    Teaching period Semester 1 (On campus)
    Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) $981.75
    International Tuition Fees Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website.
    Prerequisite
    18 200-level ENGL points
    Schedule C
    Arts and Music
    Notes
    Students who have not passed the normal prerequisite may be admitted with approval from the Head of Department.
    Contact

    Dr Michael Cop

    Teaching staff

    Dr Michael Cop
    Professor Simone Marshall
    Associate Professor Shef Rogers

    Teaching Arrangements

    This paper is taught via a combination of lectures, seminar discussions and play readings.

    Textbooks

    Five Renaissance Tragedies, ed. Colin Gibson (available free from the Department of English).

    Other texts will be available online.

    Graduate Attributes Emphasised
    Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Information literacy, Research.
    View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.
    Learning Outcomes

    Students who successfully complete this paper will gain:

    • The ability to analyse and appreciate English literature published before 1700
    • Knowledge of the cultural and historical context of the English Renaissance
    • Knowledge of early modern theatrical history
    • Familiarity with primary research resources for renaisssance literary scholarship

    Timetable

    Semester 1

    Location
    Dunedin
    Teaching method
    This paper is taught On Campus
    Learning management system
    Blackboard

    Lecture

    Stream Days Times Weeks
    Attend
    A1 Monday 12:00-12:50 9-13, 15-22
    Wednesday 12:00-12:50 9-13, 15-22

    Tutorial

    Stream Days Times Weeks
    Attend one stream from
    A1 Tuesday 13:00-13:50 9-10, 12-13, 16, 18-22
    A2 Thursday 11:00-11:50 9-10, 12-13, 16, 18-22
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