E 363 l The Poetry of Milton
Instructor: Rumrich, J. Areas: I Unique #: 35395 Flags: N/A Semester: Spring 2012 Restrictions: See Prerequisites. Cross-lists: N/A Computer Instruction: N
Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.
Description: The goal of the course is to inform students about the poetry of John Milton in its historical circumstances and to consider the poet’s lasting pertinence. To this end we will also read certain of his prose works and assess their historical significance. 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.
Requirements & Grading: Exams: Midterm (25%); Final (35%). Exams will test students’ ability to analyze verse and their familiarity with course readings and lectures. Scheduling of the final exam is done by the University approximately four weeks before the semester ends; please consult the Registrar’s page for details: http://registrar.utexas.edu/students/exams/index.html
Memorization: (20%) Students will memorize 80 lines of verse: 40 by midterm; another 40 before the end of classes. At least half of the lines must come from Paradise Lost.
Quizzes: (20%) Four or fiove unannounced quizzes on the reading will be given. Students are expected to have read the assignments attentively.
NO MAKEUPS: This rule is in effect the attendance policy. If you miss classes, your quiz average will likely suffer. This consequence is foreseen. As a concession to unforeseeable circumstances, your lowest quiz score will be dropped. That is the only concession; please do not seek an exception to this rule.
Journals: Two entries per week in reaction to scheduled readings and lecture. Each should take 30 minutes to write and consist of a blend of summary and commentary. Performance as a journal writer will not hurt your course grade unless you skimp on entries. If you do skip or skimp on entries, your course grade will suffer by as much as a full letter grade. The point of the assignment is to practice writing, and my assessment will be based more on your disciplined perseverance than on style or inspiration.
Schedule:
17-19 January: Introduction to Milton’s early life and poetry. Reason of Church Government (MLM 835-44), Christian Doctrine (1140-1144), Aubrey’s Minutes (xxiii-xxix), On the Death of a Fair Infant.
24-26 January: Fifth Ode of Horace, On the Fifth of November, On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity (aka Nativity Ode), At a Vacation Exercise, Elegy 6, Upon the Circumcision, The Passion.
31 January-2 February: L’Allegro, Il Penseroso; Prolusions 1 & 7; Elegy 1, Letter to a Friend, Sonnet 7, On Time, That Nature does not Suffer from Old Age.
7-9 February: Ad Patrem, On Shakespeare, Areopagitica. [full paragraph in MLM, 930-31].
14-16 February: Mask [Comus], Sonnets 9 & 13.
21-23 February: Lycidas, On the University Carrier [both], Elegies 2 & 3, On the Death of the Vice-Chancellor, On the Death of the Bishop of Eli
28 February -1 March: Diodati Greets Milton [both], To Charles Diodati [both], Wotton to Milton, To Lukas Holste, To Leonora poems [in Elegies], To Salzilli [in Miscellaneous Latin poems], Manso, Epitaph for Damon.
6-8 March: Review and introduction to the second part of the course: Milton’s career as a religious and political pamphleteer. Midterm (8 March).
20-22 March: Areopagitica, TKM. Complete first half of memorization assignment by end of this week.
27-29 March: Second Defense, Psalms 1-8, Sonnets 19-23. Review and introduction to the final part of the course: Late Masterworks.
3-5 April: PL 1-2, Christian Doctrine [hereafter, CD], Book 1, chapters 2-3, 8-9.
10-12 April PL 3-4, CD 1.3-4, 10
17-19 April: PL 5-7, CD 1.5 (to bottom of 1181), 7.
24-26 April: PL 8-9.
1-3 May: PL 10-12. Complete second half of memorization assignment before last class day of classes.
Policies: 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 on Academic Integrity, see http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/acadint.php
Documented Disability Statement: The University of Texas at 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 http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd
Religious Holy Days: By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your 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, I will give you 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: Find Paradise Lost audiotexts at http://www.laits.utexas.edu/miltonpl/
Instructor: Professor Rumrich (Office Hours, TBA).