Syllabus
In this course we will consider Shakespeare's early career as a playwright and his after-career as literary icon. Both involved history and fanstasy: the history plays contain much fiction and the comedies not a little history, while Shakespeare's reception, quite as much as the plays, was colored by the imaginative imperatives of the hour. If Shakespeare's characters come across as larger-than-life, so does the Bard himself. The plays and criticism alike involve rhetorical display, leading us to pay particular attention to wordplay and audiences.
The lectures will develop two threads useful for understanding Shakespeare, and literature generally. The first is the concept of genre. The plays are not snapshots of Elizabethan life and manners, but works of art in which characters and stories are shaped according to elaborate sets of rules that Shakespeare would follow or subvert as he saw fit. Characters in comedies behave differently than characters in tragedies not simply because of their personalities, but because they appear in different kinds of story.
The second thread has to do with the history of literary criticism. For us, Shakespeare is a cultural icon. This was not the case when the plays were written of course. We'll do a brief survey of some classic works of literary criticism to indicate how Shakespeare came to be what he is today by looking at what he was for seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth-century readers.
Course requirements consist of class participation (20%), a mid-term examination (20%), a 15 pp. research paper (40%) and a final examination (20%). Participation involves regular attendance, and joining in discussion. Students are expected to abide by Virginia Tech's Honor Code: all writing done for this class must be your own or clearly sourced. Since this course is based in lecture and discussion, frequent and protracted absences will be penalized.
Texts: You'll need a good college Shakespeare: one with a modern text (that is to say, one that hasn't been modernized!) good annotations and glossaries, and helpful prefatory material. I have ordered the Norton Shakespeare, but Riverside, Pelican, and Oxford will do. What will not do is a cheap facsimile reprint from Books-R-Us, or your family's heirloom Shakespeare. You want one with all the naughty words intact and glossed. Digital texts of the criticism are supplied. It is important that you bring these to class for discussion; print a copy if necessary.
The research paper can be on a wide variety of topics related to Shakespeare and Shakespeare criticsm. It should focus on a particular topic and report on what several writers have had to say about the subject as well as providing your own original insights. Narrow and seemingly arcane topics often work best; they are more fun to research and you'll be amazed at the depth of criticism there is to work with. Discuss the topic with me ahead of time.
English majors working on ePortfolios: this essay can be used to meet “learning outcome 4”: Ability to search for, select, and analyze information from electronic databases and other research sources; ability to compose an essay about a literary text(s) that integrates outside sources in an ethical, accurate, readable, and effective way.
Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the instructor; all students are expected to abide by the Virginia Tech Honor System.
Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays at 2:00, and by appointment. Come by to chat about literature, your essays, future plans, whatever.
Schedule
26 August: Introduction
28 August: Richard II
2 September: Richard II
4 September: Richard II
9 September: Henry IV Part I
11 September: Henry IV Part I
16 September: Henry IV Part II
18 September: Henry IV Part II
23 September: Henry IV Part II
25 September: Basse, Jonson, Milton on Shakespeare
30 September: Henry V
2 October: Henry V
7 October: Henry V
9 October: Rowe and Pope on Shakespeare
14 October: Taming of the Shrew
16 October: Taming of the Shrew [take-home Mid-term examination due]
21 October: Taming of the Shrew
23 October: Samuel Johnson on Shakespeare
28 October: As you like it
30 October: As you like it
4 November: As you like it
6 November: Coleridge and Hazlitt on Shakespeare
11 November: Merchant of Venice
13 November: Merchant of Venice
18 November: Merchant of Venice
20 November: Jameson on Shakespeare
Thanksgiving Break 22-30 November
2 December: Merry Wives of Windsor [research paper due]
4 December: Merry Wives of Windsor
9 December: Merry Wives of Windsor
Final Examination Friday 12 December 10:05 AM
