Module Code and Title:        LIT102 Literature from Renaissance Period to 18th Century

Programme:                           BA in English Studies

Credit Value:                          12

Module Tutor:                       Sonam Deki (Coordinator), Vanlallawmkimi, Dechen Pelden

General objective: The module aims to provide students an accurate survey of the development of Literature in Britain from the Renaissance period to the Age of Prose and Reason in the 18^th century. The module will emphasise on the diverse socio-political, cultural, and historical events that have shaped these literary periods. Few representational texts from the specific periods will be read closely to understand and appreciate the diversity in genres popular in the said periods.

Learning outcomes – On completion of the module, students will be able to:

1. Connect major historical events to the literary periods.
2. Distinguish the stylistic literary features according to different periods.
3. Write critical response papers to evaluate prescribed texts.
4. Explain the literary movements and their importance.
5. Discuss the works and styles of the major authors of the prescribed texts.
6. Make intertextual connections among the prescribed texts.
7. Demonstrate how text generates the ideology, and how ideology dictates the text in a given literary period.

Learning and Teaching Approach:

Pre-requisites: None

Assessment Approach:

1. In-class critical response paper: 10%

A short in-class critical response of 300 – 350 words on a specific topic from Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist. Assessment should evaluate the students’ understanding of the text as well as their ability to analyse the text beyond classroom teaching.

Assessment will be based on the following criteria:

Critical Analysis and Quality of Argument: 15 marks

Use of examples from the Primary texts: 30 marks

Depth of Knowledge and Accuracy of understanding: 30 marks

Language Use and Structure & Organisation: 25 marks

1. Pre-presentation meetings & Presentation: 30%

Groups of 5 – 6 members will be assigned specific topics on the literary movements and literary periods to research, prepare and present.  This assessment will be divided into two components: two group pre-presentation meetings and a presentation to the class. Group members will meet the tutor to update on the process, confer on the direction of the presentation, and set goals if applicable in the pre-presentation meetings. The two pre-presentation meetings will be evaluated out of 4% and 6%, and will be assigned a group mark.  All members of the group will present on their topic for 3 – 5 minutes and will be assigned an individual mark (20%) based on their performance.  

The first pre-presentation meeting will be assessed based on the following criteria:

Preparedness of the group: 60 marks

Plan for the presentation: 40 marks

The second pre-presentation will be assessed based on the following criteria:

Content for the presentation: 50 marks

Research and response to feedback: 50 marks

Final presentation will be assessed based on the following criteria:

Analysis and argument: 30 marks

Knowledge and understanding: 40 marks

Presentation skills: 30 marks

1. Class Test: 10%

A test will be conducted for 45 min duration and cover materials from Unit II.

1. Class participation and preparedness: 10%

Students will be expected to participate substantially in class discussions, with contributions reflecting adequate preparation for topics under discussion. 5% will be assessed before mid-term, and the remaining 5% post midterm.

1. Midterm Examination: 10%

Students will take a written exam of 1.5 hr. duration covering topics up to the mid-point of the semester. This assessment is comprehensive and summative in nature, and will comprise structured questions from all levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, and will follow the programme’s blue-print for Midterm Examination questions.

1. Semester-End Examination: 30%

Students will take a written exam of 2.5 hr duration encompassing all the subject matter covered in the semester. This assessment is comprehensive and summative in nature, and will comprise structured questions from all levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, and will follow the programme blue-print for Semester-End Examination questions.

Overview of assessment approaches and weighting

Pre-requisites: None

Subject matter:

1. Unit I: Introduction to history of English Literature in Britain
   • An overview of the medieval period in England
   • Chaucer’s contribution to English literature
   • The Canterbury Tales as representational of the 14^th century English society.
2. Unit II: The Renaissance Period
   • An overview of Age of Revival
     • Social and Political aspects of the period
     • Renaissance and Humanism
   • Literature of the Renaissance
     • Introduction of the Sonnet in England by Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
     • Close reading and analysis of Whoso List to Hunt by Sir Thomas Wyatt.
     • Features of Petrarchan, Spenserian, and Shakespearean sonnets
     • Comparison of structure and themes in the three types of sonnets
   • Overview of the Development of Drama in Britain
     • Mystery and Miracle Plays
     • Morality Plays
     • The Interludes
     • Playhouses

3. Unit III: Elizabethan Age (1553-1603)
   • Historical and social aspects of the period
   • Comedy of Humours
     • Features of Comedy of Humours
     • Close reading and analysis of Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist
       • Characterisation in The Alchemist

4. Unit IV: The Puritan Age (1620-1660)
   • Commonwealth Period under the Cromwell government (1649-1660)
   • Impact of Cromwellian governance on literature
   • Metaphysical Poetry
     • Close reading and analysis of The Good Morrow by John Donne
     • Characteristics of metaphysical poetry

5. Unit V: The Age of Prose and Reason (1660 - 1800s)
   • Political and social background of the Restoration period.
   • Overview of popular literature of the period
     • Translations of classical epics, Satire, mock epics, and prose.
     • Close reading and analysis of excerpts from John Milton’s Paradise Lost, Book I
       • Use of epic conventions in Paradise Lost, Book I
     • Close reading and analysis of Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock.
       • Features of Mock Epic in The Rape of the Lock

Reading List:

Essential reading (An essential reading compilation of the shorter reading materials will be made available to students)

Donne, J. (n.d.). The Good-morrow. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173360.

Jonson, B. (2018). The alchemist. Peacock Books.

Milton, J. (n.d.). Paradise lost, Book I. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20

Pope, A. (n.d).The rape of the lock, and other poems. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9800

Wyatt,T. (n.d.).  Whoso list to hunt, I know where is an hind. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45593/whoso-list-to-hunt-i-know-where-is-an-hind.

Additional reading

Baldick, C. (2015). Oxford dictionary of literary terms (4th ed.). Oxford University                  Press.

Daiches, D. (2011). A critical history of English literature. (Vol. 1 & 2). Supernova Publishers.

Date: June 2022