(1) To unify the work of the preceding terms. (2) To give a rapid survey of the whole field of English Literature. (3) To study selected masterpieces characteristic of the various periods. (4) To learn the characteristics of the chief literary types. (5) To read as broadly as possible in each period. Collateral reading here runs parallel with class work.
First term.
Literature Studied.
- History of English Literature to 18th Century.
- Prologue to the Canterbury Tales. Chaucer.
- Review of the Old English Ballads.
- Macbeth. Shakespeare.
- L’Allegro and Il Penseroso. Milton.
- Comus. Milton, or
- Paradise Lost, Books 1 and 2. Milton.
- Lycidas. Milton.
- Sonnet on His Blindness. Milton.
- Alexander’s Feast. Dryden.
Collateral Reading.
- The epic—Beowulf (at least two-thirds).
- The tale—One of Chaucer’s, preferably the Knight’s Tale.
- The drama—King Lear. Shakespeare, or
- Hamlet. Shakespeare, or
- Othello. Shakespeare, or
- The Jew of Malta. Marlowe, or
- Doctor Faustus. Marlowe.
- The song—Palgrave’s Golden Treasury. Books 1 and 2.
- The essay—Essays selected. Bacon.
- The allegory—Pilgrim’s Progress (Part I). Bunyan.
- The elegy—Elegy in a Country Churchyard. Gray.
- Adonais. Shelley.
- Thrysis. Matthew Arnold.
- In Memoriam. Tennyson.
- Thanatopsis. Bryant.
Method.
In general study broadly to stimulate a desire for further acquaintance with literature, but whenever made possible by the work in hand, review and sum up principles emphasized throughout preceding terms.
Chaucer. Read (1) for a picture of the times; (2) to discover his broad humanity; (3) for his humor and satire; (4) for his literary method. Do not attempt to teach pronunciation or grammar, but insist on smooth, intelligent translation.
The Ballads. Read to find the characteristics of ballad literature. Compare with the literary ballad; such as, The Ancient Mariner, Scott’s Rosabelle, or Rossetti’s White Ship.