We will read several poets, the non-canonical as well as the traditional, from the middle of the reign of Henry VIII to the first decade of the rule of James I (1530-1609). We will concentrate primarily on Sidney’s Astrophil and Stella, Marlowe's Hero and Leander, Shakespeare’s Sonnets, and Spenser’s The Faerie Queene. Yet we will also study Isabella Whitney, Anne Locke, Gascoigne, Drayton, Wyatt, Surrey, Daniel, Raleigh, and others. We will talk about issues such as Petrarchism and other continental literary influences, Biblical translations, women as writers, and poetical form and meter. We will also investigate trends in sixteenth-century English history: the reigns of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, James I; England’s place in European politics and culture; religion and society, especially the Reformation.
ENGL 40901 / 52201: Elizabethan Poetry
Fall 2019 MW 4.30-5.45 LA 116
Office: LA 233 Hours: please contact me
email: stapletm@pfw.edu phone: 481.6841 (message)
webpage: www.elmlsteach.org
Text:
Loughlin et al., eds., The Broadview Anthology of Sixteenth-Century Poetry and Prose.
Unless otherwise stated, all page numbers in parentheses below refer to this edition.
Links to articles below are for quick reference purposes only, finding aids. You'll need to log in to the Helmke Library for complete access. Most of these can be downloaded in .pdf form.
Electronic Devices:
Yes, please. Feel free. I only ask that you use their magic powers for Good
Introductions
humanism, Renaissance, Reformation, lyric, Songs and Sonnets (1557)
Wyatt and Surrey in Songs and Sonnets ("Tottel's Miscellany") (188-97)
NO CLASS
The third day of Wyatt and Surrey
Baldwin, Mirror for Magistrates [Richard II (281); Cade (284); Induction (291); Jane Shore (299)]
Spenser, Shepheardes Calender, Editor's intro (778) "October" eclogue (791); Sidney, Defence of Poesy (713-39)
More on these two essential works
Remy: Wendy Wall, "Isabella Whitney and the Female Legacy," English Literary History 58 (1991): 35-62.
Isabella Whitney (379), Anne Locke (214), Gascoigne (363-75), Greville (670)
Emalee: David A. Roberts, "Fulke Greville's Aesthetic Reconsidered," Studies in Philology 74 (1977): 388-405.
More of these folks
Raleigh, poetry (1110-19); Marlowe, “Passionate Shepherd" (web); Donne, "Passionate Shepherd" (1196)
FIRST ASSIGNMENT DUE FRIDAY, 4 OCTOBER, 9 A.M., BY EMAIL
Campion (1270); Daniel, Delia (945)
Davies, Epigrams (1137); Southwell (1101)
Drayton, Idea's Mirror (1094); Epistles (1095)
Jessica: Drayton article
More Drayton
Remy: Drayton article
Sidney, Astrophil and Stella (handout)
Emalee: Sidney article
More Sidney
Further Sidney-ing
More Astrophil and Stella still. A Shakespeare sonnet, probably.
Shakespeare, Sonnets (1079-89)
TAKE-HOME MIDTERM DUE FRIDAY, 8 NOVEMBER, 9 A.M., VIA EMAIL
More Shakespeare
NO CLASS
Spenser, Faerie Queene, Book I (821-926), canto 1
Doc
FQ, cantos 2 and 3
summary of 2, good stanza: Remy
summary of 3, good stanza: Emalee
FQ, cantos 4 and 5
summary of 4, good stanza: Lindsey
summary of 5, good stanza: Jessica
FQ, cantos 6 and 7
summary of 6, good stanza: Remy
summary of 7, good stanza: Emalee
FQ, cantos 8 and 9
summary of 8, good stanza: Lindsey
summary of 9, good stanza: Jessica
FQ, cantos 10, 11, 12
Doc
TAKE-HOME FINAL DUE FRIDAY, 20 DECEMBER, 9 A.M., VIA EMAIL
You are allowed five (5) absences for any reason you choose. Students who miss more than this will fail the course, without exception, regardless of circumstances. I do not distinguish between “excused” and “unexcused” absences, nor am I responsible for material that you miss because you are absent. Students who miss the attendance call (the first five minutes of class) will be marked absent; students who get up and leave in the middle of class will be marked absent. Please take care of your rest room issues BEFORE class. If you must leave, give us the high sign.
NOTE: if you signed up for the class, it is understood that you can attend it regardless of family or employment obligations. If you have emergencies, this is why you have absences allowed. Doctors's notes, team travel letters, and other personal effects do not entitle students to extra absences. If circumstances prevent you from observing the attendance policy, drop the course.
Your paper and take-home exams are due on the scheduled non-class dates by 9 a.m. via email. Late papers = 0. No exceptions. These will be short, 4-6 pp. for undergrads, 10-15 pp. for grads. Your paper and first exam may be revised after meeting with the instructor in the office and discussing your plans.
It should go without saying that students are also expected to do their own work; indebtedness to secondary materials (either printed or electronic) must be clearly indicated so as to avoid plagiarism:
—(piecemeal) using someone else’s words and phrases as if they were your own, not pararphrasing or summarizing properly, even with proper documentation;
—(grotesque) using someone else’s ideas as if they were your own, without proper documentation;
—(more grotesque) allowing someone else to write your paper for you.
PLEASE DO NOT BE A PLAGIARIST! THIS IS UNNECESSARY, AS WELL AS UNETHICAL
The course grade will be determined by a rough averaging together of your essay on an assigned topic, take-home midterm, and take-home final exam, and the less formal writing I will assign individually for presentational purposes. I reserve the right to take into additional factors into account; improvement, class participation, and, of course, attendance. Grades are not negotiable, personal, or subject to the influence of extracurricular academic factors.
You may email me at any time. I will usually get back to you quickly: stapletm@pfw.edu
NOTE WELL:
I always acknowledge an email submission with a reply confirming receipt. If you DON'T hear from me after a reasonable period of time, it means I didn't get the paper. It is YOUR responsibility to follow up in this case, not mine.
Since our class is relatively small, we'll try and run things like a seminar for part of every class period. I'll be assigning our short presentation topics ahead of time. Usually, I will ask you to present a short article from a reputable journal that can be found in the database JSTOR. These exercises will sharpen your mind, engage you, and certainly help your classmates. Before you come to class, you'll write up a brief version of your presentation (1-2 pp.). And you'll email it to me in a Word .docx, as an attachment. (DO NOT SEND ME ANYTHING VIA GOOGLE DOCS.) I will then post it on my teaching blog for everyone's edification.
Your mission is fairly simple. Please read Petrarch's Rime 140 in the versions below, perhaps beginning with the English translation following the original Italian composition. Then see the translations by Wyatt and Surrey from Tottel's Miscellany (1557) just below, "The long love" and "Love, that doth reign." What significant differences can you find in these Tudor renditions of "Amor, che nel penser mio vive et regna" ? How about similarities? What is important, and what should we notice? Why would any of this matter? Note: Surrey read Wyatt's version.
The Writing page on this website provides a great deal of help to those who seek it. The Writing Papers section explains what we do in a general way. The sections on Analytical Writing, Avoiding Needless Repetition, and Lead-ins and Quotations are highly recommended. Crucial: the “In Medias Res” section of Writing Papers. Build your paper from the inside out. Specific is good. Your essay should be 4-6 pp., double-spaced. No other question of formatting need concern us now. You may indicate line numbers in parentheses. Please see the Quoting Poetry section on the Writing page.
Avoid listing, summarizing, and making needless general statements about life and literature. Avoid value judgments (the poem is good; the poem is bad; I believe; I think). I’d really enjoy seeing what you can do and hearing about what you consider significant. You’re welcome to bring our other reading to bear on the topic as well.
SPECS
The paper is due Friday, 4 October, 9 a.m., by email. 4-6 pp. for undergrads, 10-15 for grads, as the Course Policies rubric lists above. Late papers = F. Strictly enforced, non-negotiable. I’m more than happy to discuss your paper or writing at any time possible. Email is fine, and the office is better. The best news is that you may REVISE this paper, the revision due at any time before the due date for the final take-home exam-paper. Required: for revision, office conference. Like your grade and attendance, non-negotiable.
TEXTS
Petrarch, Rime 140
Amor, che nel penser mio vive et regna
e 'l suo seggio maggior nel mio cor tene,
talor armato ne la fronte vene;
ivi si loca et ivi pon sua insegna.
Quella ch'amare e sofferir ne 'nsegna, 5
e vol che'l gran desio, l'accesa spene,
ragion, vergogna, e reverenza affrene,
di nostro ardir fra se stessa si sdegna.
Onde Amor paventoso fugge al core,
lasciando ogni sua impresa, et piange et trema; 10
ivi s'asconde et non appar piu fore.
Che poss'io far, temendo il mio signore,
se non star seco infin a l'ora estrema?
che bel fin fa chi ben amando more.
A. S. Kline translation
Love, who lives and rules in my thought
and holds his chief seat in my heart,
sometimes armed comes into my face;
and there makes camp and places his banner.
She who teaches me to love and suffer,
and wants reason, shame, and respect restrain
my great desire and burning hope
takes offense inwardly at our ardor.
Therefore Love, fearful, flees to the heart,
abandoning it all, and cries and shakes;
he hides himself, and is seen abroad no more.
What can I do, when my master is afraid,
except stand with him to the bitter end?
He makes a fine end, who dies loving well!
Wyatt (written before Surrey's)
The long love that in my thought doth harbor,
And in mine heart doth keep his residence,
Into my face presseth with bold pretense
And therein campeth, spreading his banner.
She that me learneth to love and suffer 5
And will that my trust and lust's negligence
Be reined by reason, shame, and reverence
With his hardiness taketh displeasure.
Wherewithal unto the heart's forest he fleeth,
Leaving his enterprise with pain and cry, 10
And there him hideth, and not appeareth.
What may I do, when my master feareth,
But in the field with him to live and die?
For good is the life ending faithfully.
Surrey
Love, that doth reign and live within my thought,
And built his seat within my captive breast,
Clad in the arms wherein with me he fought,
Oft in my face he doth his banner rest.
But she that taught me love and suffer pain, 5
My doubtful hope and eke my hot desire
With shamefast look to shadow and refrain,
Her smiling grace converteth straight to ire.
And coward Love, then, to the heart apace
Taketh his flight, where he doth lurk and plain, 10
His purpose lost, and dare not show his face.
For my lord's guilt thus faultless bide I pain,
Yet from my lord shall not my foot remove:
Sweet is the death that taketh end by love.
The hardness of her heart and truth of mine
When the all-seeing eyes of heaven did see,
They straight concluded that by power divine
To other forms our hearts should turnèd be.
Then hers, as hard as flint, a flint became,
And mine, as true as steel, to steel was turned;
And then between our hearts sprang forth the flame
Of kindest love, which unextinguished burned.
And long the sacred lamp of mutual love
Incessantly did burn in glory bright,
Until my folly did her fury move
To recompense my service with despite;
And to put out with snuffers of her pride
The lamp of love which else had never died.
How is this characteristic of sixteenth-century poetry as you've come to know it? How does it reflect our course thus far? Please be specific in your use of our writers, featuring brief, specific examples from their work
The Writing page on this website provides a great deal of help to those who seek it. The Writing Papers section explains what we do in a general way. The sections on Analytical Writing, Avoiding Needless Repetition, and Lead-ins and Quotations are highly recommended. Crucial: the “In Medias Res” section of Writing Papers. Build your paper from the inside out. Specific is good. Your essay should be 4-6 pp., double-spaced. No other question of formatting need concern us now. You may indicate line numbers in parentheses. Please see the Quoting Poetry section on the Writing page.
Avoid listing, summarizing, and making needless general statements about life and literature. Avoid value judgments (the poem is good; the poem is bad; I believe; I think). I’d really enjoy seeing what you can do and hearing about what you think. You’re welcome to bring our other reading to bear on the topic as well.
SPECS
What elements in the canto you presented to the class can you relate to the rest of The Faerie Queene, Book I?
SPECS
The exam is due Friday, 20 December, 9 a.m., by email. 4-6 pp. for undergrads, 10-15 for grads, as the Course Policies rubric lists above. Late papers = F. Strictly enforced, non-negotiable. I’m more than happy to discuss your paper or writing at any time possible. Email is fine, and the office is better. This paper cannot be revised, nor will it be returned with comments unless the student specifically requests this courtesy in advance.
There were two editions: 1590 and 1596
His dates were 1845-1915, his origin Liverpool. He was a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, which sought to recapture the "purity" of late medieval art. Dante Gabriel Rosetti and William Morris were its best-known members, and the movement featured painting and poetry and, most spectacularly for bibliophiles, the Kelmscott Press, which turned out beautifully ornate volumes featuring terrific engravings and illustrations.
Here is a link to the original Faerie Queene publication (1897)
The Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society was Crane's invention, as was the ensuing artistic movement. Crane said of decorative design: "the artist works freest and best without direct reference to nature, and should have learned the forms he makes use of by heart."
Here is a Dutch video with music featuring many of the illustrations.
He's my favorite because he sees into the core of people and captures it in paint, chalk, or pencil in a way that is simultaneously breathtaking and disturbing. You could see his faces in England today, or, for that matter, in West Virginia or Vermont. The expressions are enigmatic: are the subjects about to burst into laughter or start crying? What could possibly be on their minds? And so forth. Holbein (1497-1543) was, like Handel after him, a great German artist who made good among das englische Volk. He learned much from his father and namesake, the late Gothic painter whose style resembles Breughel’s. He was also apparently influenced by fifteenth-century Italian portraiture and humanism, so that he was able to create his own aesthetic. Erasmus recommended him, and on his migration to England in 1526, joined Thomas More’s household: the artistic results speak for themselves. His patrons included Anne Boleyn (as queen) and Thomas Cromwell, Lord Chancellor after More and Wolsey. He became Henry VIII’s official court painter. He is also important in the history of the book, and one hell of an engraver. Although I love his paintings, it is his chalk drawings that I find astonishing—like a Shakespeare play or a canto of The Faerie Queene, the perspective changes and shifts on each viewing or reading.
Hans Holbein site (commerical)
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