E 363 l The Poetry of Milton

Instructor: Rumrich, J. Areas: I Unique #: 35525 Flags: Ethics and Leadership. Semester: Spring, 2017 Restrictions: See Prerequisites. Cross-lists: Computer Instruction: N

Prerequisite: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

CTI Designation: This course counts towards the Certificate Program in Core Texts and Ideas, a 6-course sequence in the great books, ideas, and controversies that have shaped Western civilization. The program is open to students in all majors and colleges. Visit http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/coretexts/ for more information or email the academic director, Lorraine Pangle.

Description: The goal of the course is to inform students about the poetry of John Milton in its historical circumstances and to assess the poet’s works in relation to literary and political history. To this end we will read selections from his prose writings and consider their influence through the last three and a half centuries. Students will be evaluated according to their attention to the readings and course lectures.

Texts: The Complete Poetry and Essential Prose of John Milton (Modern Library, 2007) [hereafter, MLM], available at the Co-op or Amazon.com. Alternatively, students are free to substitute three paperback Modern Library paperback editions: Paradise Lost (2008), Paradise Regained, Samson Agonistes, and the Complete Shorter Poems (2012), and The Essential Prose of John Milton (2013).

Requirements & Grading [subject to adjustment]:

Exams: Midterm (20%); Final (25%). Exams will test students’ ability to understand Milton’s verse and familiarity with course readings and lectures.

Memorization: (15%) Students will memorize 50 lines of poetry: at least half the lines from Paradise Lost; the other half from any of the other works on the schedule originally written in English. Upon instructor approval, a passage of prose may be substituted for half of the assignment.

Quizzes: (25%) At least four or five unannounced quizzes on the reading. Students are expected to read assignments attentively prior to class. NO MAKEUPS: This rule is in effect the attendance policy. If you miss classes, your quiz average will likely suffer. As a concession to unforeseeable circumstances, the lowest quiz score will be dropped.

Panel: (15%): Groups of three students will present a panel chosen from a list of topics provided early in the semester. These panels will require students to read secondary sources, convey the gist of them to the class, and run a brief discussion session.

Schedule [subject to adjustment]:

1/17: Intro to course.

1/19: Reason of Church Government (MLM 835-44), Christian Doctrine (1140-1144), Aubrey’s Minutes (xxiii- xxix), Elegy 1, On the Death of a Fair Infant.

1/24-26: On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity (aka Nativity Ode), The Passion, At a Vacation Exercise, Elegy 6, Prolusions 1 & 7, L’Allegro & Il Penseroso..

1/31-2/2: Letter to a Friend, Sonnet 7, On Time, On Shakespeare, excerpt from Areopagitica. [full paragraph in MLM, 930-31], Ad Patrem [To his Father].

2/7-9: Masque, An Apology for Smectymnuus.

2/14-16: Lycidas, On the University Carrier [both], Elegies 2 & 3, On the Death of the Vice-Chancellor, On the Death of the Bishop of Eli. Personal Correspondence: Diodati Greets Milton [both], To Charles Diodati [both], Epitaph for Damon.

2/21-23: Personal Correspondence: Wotton to Milton, To Lukas Holste. To Leonora [Elegies], To Salzilli [Miscellaneous Latin poems], Manso, Selections from Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce.

2/28-3/2: Areopagitica; Midterm.

3/7-9: PL 1-2, Christian Doctrine [hereafter, CD], Book 1, chapters 2-3, 8-9.

BREAK

3/21-23: PL 3-4 & 5 to line 450, CD 1.3-4, 10, Sonnets 19 & 22.

3/28-30: PL 5.451- PL 7, CD 1.5 (to bottom of 1181) & 1.7. Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, Psalms 1-8.

4/4-6: PL 8-9, CD 1.11, Sonnet 23.

4/11-13: PL 10-12, CD 1.12-13. Second Defense.

4/18-20 PR, CD 1.14.

4/25-27 Conclude PR.

5/2-4 Memorization Assignment Complete; Samson Agonistes

Policies (worded by UT central administration, with some alteration):

Honor Code: The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the university is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community.

Academic Integrity: Any work submitted by a student in this course for academic credit will be the student's own work. For additional information, see http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/acadint.php. Students who violate University standards for scholastic integrity may incur penalties that include failure of the course or dismissal.

Documented Disability Statement: UT Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact Services for Students with Disabilities at 471-6259 (voice) or 232-2937 (video phone) or go to http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd

Religious Holy Days: By UT Austin policy, students should alert faculty of pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, you will have an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence.

Other: Turn off cell phones and close computers during class. After midterm, students averaging lower than a C who request a Q drop will receive a failing grade.

Web Site: Paradise Lost audiotexts at http://www.laits.utexas.edu/miltonpl/