Studies in poetry: from the sonneteers to the metaphysicals

Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session

This course aims to introduce students to some of the most important practitioners of poetry in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century England, locating them in their historical and social contexts. We will be emphasizing love poetry or amatory verse, but as we shall see, love in the English Renaissance becomes at the same time a way of talking about everything: religion, politics, history, as well as love itself. Our attempt will be to combine close reading of selected poems with an investigation of the contexts of English verse. Thus, we will examine poems not only as literary artifacts but as cultural artifacts, looking at some of the ways in which poetry codes and shapes the world outside it. The course will begin by examining in a sustained manner the sonnet tradition, tracing its development from its Italian origins in Petrarch to its distinctive transformations in the courtly culture of Elizabethan England. We will thereafter shift our attention to the so-called metaphysical poets of the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, focusing primarily on Donne and Marvell.

Poetry demands slowing down and lingering over lines. So, while the reading for this course is not a burden in quantitative terms, it does require care and patience. I expect, and expect you will find rewarding, careful reading and re-reading of the poems as we discuss them. The secondary readings are designed to help enrich your comprehension and enjoyment of the poems we will read. They will help you locate the verse in relation to literary traditions and genres, as well as within political, social, and historical contexts.

Each of these requirements will be carefully considered in determining your grade. If you cannot be in class or meet a deadline because of an emergency, please speak with me (in advance, if possible). Otherwise, absences and late papers will adversely affect your grade.

All essays should be typed or word-processed (double-spaced, with standard margins). I shall provide more specific instructions for each written assignment. I shall also provide a stylesheet including information about proper citation of sources; if you have any lingering doubts about the use of material beyond the text itself or about the definition of plagiarism, please speak with me before submitting your work. Any act of plagiarism will be grounds for failure of this subject. In addition to welcoming your participation in class, I encourage you to discuss your ideas and your writing with me during office hours, or at other times convenient for us both.

The different components of the course will be weighted as follows (though I reserve the right to alter this weighting somewhat---this generally works to your advantage).

Don't show me this again

This is one of over 2,200 courses on OCW. Find materials for this course in the pages linked along the left.

MIT OpenCourseWare is a free & open publication of material from thousands of MIT courses, covering the entire MIT curriculum.

No enrollment or registration. Freely browse and use OCW materials at your own pace. There's no signup, and no start or end dates.

Knowledge is your reward. Use OCW to guide your own life-long learning, or to teach others. We don't offer credit or certification for using OCW.

Made for sharing. Download files for later. Send to friends and colleagues. Modify, remix, and reuse (just remember to cite OCW as the source.)

Learn more at Get Started with MIT OpenCourseWare