SoSe 14: S-Surveying English Literatures II: Introduction to Renaissance Literature
Kai Martin Wiegandt
Comments
The seminar will introduce students to a period that features not only Shakespeare but a wealth of innovations in all fields of literary production. We will begin with a selection of Montaigne's Essays which inaugurate a new genre in European literature that allows reflections on life in its full diversity in a manner that is not committed to a single perspective. We will see how the essay's very form illustrates a preeminent concern of this genre with scepticism, i.e. the belief that nothing can be known for certain. We will continue with Shakespeare's comedy Much Ado About Nothing and address topics such as Renaissance views on gender and the institution of the theatre. In the third part of the seminar we will read a selection of poems from the period, including works by Donne and Milton.
Participants will have to read critical essays in addition to the assigned texts (the criticism will be made available on Blackboard). Regular attendance (no more than two missed classes), the writing of weekly response papers and a presentation are obligatory. Credits can be acquired by submitting a paper on a specialised topic. English is spoken in class. Your language skills should be at the C1 level or higher according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The poems will be made available via Blackboard.Required Texts: William Shakespeare. Much Ado About Nothing. Oxford University Press, 2008. Montaigne, Michel de. The Essays: A Selection. Trans. M. Screech. Penguin, 2012.
close12 Class schedule
Regular appointments