ENGL 40901-52201: Elizabethan Poetry

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Your mission is fairly simple.  Please read Wyatt and Surrey's translations of Petrarch's Rime 140, "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.  For your convenience, I include the Petrarch sonnet and a modern English translation so you can get a sense of what the original actually said.

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, 10 February, by 11.59 p.m., on Brightspace. 4-6 pp. for undergrads, 10-12 pp for grads. 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, conference. Like your grade and attendance, non-negotiable. 

TEXTS 

I include these for your convenience, but you can find them in your Norton on p. 120 and p. 135

Wyatt

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. 

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! 

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

The exam  is due Friday, 24 March, 11.59 p.m., via Brightspace.  4-6 pp. for undegrads, 10-12 for grads. 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, conference. Like your grade and attendance, non-negotiable. 

What elements in the canto you presented to the class can you relate to the rest of The Faerie Queene, Book I?

• You can be as imaginative or as prosaic as you like here.  We can try this in class with canto 12 and see what we come up with.
• general statements from your canto that apply to the rest of the work, or vice-versa
• plot elements that seem truly significant and help elucidate some other part of Book 1, or vice-versa
• epic, romance, or allegorical conventions that you see as operative in your canto that apply elsewhere
• be specific, and try to be clear about your connections
• look at the Writing prompt in the site menu

SPECS

The exam is due Wednesday, 3 May, 11.59 pm., via Brightspace.  4-6 pp. for undergrads, 8-10 for grads. 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.