Spring 2000
Liz Cannon Office: Radford 303
MWF 12:40-1:40 Office Phone: 424-0299
Clow 243 Home Phone: 231--4768
Office Hours: M 2-4; T 3-4 E-mail: cannon@uwosh.edu
And by appointment
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This course will explore women writers from the 15th to 18th centuries (Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Enlightenment periods). We will look at what common themes emerge and at the image of woman presented in each. We will also look at the obstacles that made the writing profession a difficult one for women to choose, maybe most importantly because of what their contemporary male counterparts were writing about women. In addition to the primary texts, we will also look at some of the literary criticism existing on these texts. Your task for this course is threefold: to develop an historical concept of women living in these times as well as of the literary context surrounding these works, to improve interpretative and writing skills, and to learn how to use secondary sources in your own writing.
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Required Texts:
Geoffrey Chaucer, The Wife of Bath
Margery Kempe, The Book of Margery Kempe
James Fitzmaurice et. al., Major Women Writers of Seventeenth-Century England
Aphra Behn, Oroonoko
Frances Burney, Evelina
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Course Requirements:
3 4-5 page papers on the texts alone--35% (2 at 10%, 1at 15%)
2 2-page summaries of critical articles--20% (10% each)
Final paper using secondary sources (@ 10 pages) and presentation--25%
Leading group discussion--5%
Scene in Play--5%
Participation: attendance, class discussion (can do journal instead of class discussion), in-class
assignments--10%
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Please do not hesitate to come see me if you have any questions or problems with this class. My office hours are listed above, but we can make an appointment if these are not convenient for you. Students with disabilities needing a reasonable accommodation should inform me as soon as possible.
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Calendar:
Jan 31--M: Introduction
Feb 2--W: Chaucer, from General Prologue (p. 42-43), Wife's Prologue lines 1-452 (p. 44-59)
4--F: Chaucer, Wife's Prologue lines 453-856 (p. 59--73)
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7--M: Chaucer, Wife of Bath's Tale (p. 73-85)
Student led discussion:
9--W: Chaucer Criticism (A: New Historicism, B: Marxist, C: Psychoanalytic)
11--F: Chaucer Criticism (D: Deconstruction, E: Feminist)
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14--M: Kempe, p. 33-109 (A: Proem, Chpt 1-5; B: Chpt 6-11; C: Chpt 12-17; D: Chpt 18-23;
E: Chpt 24-29)
16--W: Kempe, p. 110-161 (A: Chpt 30-33; B: Chpt 34-37; C: 38-41; D: 42-45; E: 46-49; Liz: 50-51)
Student led discussion:
18--F: Kempe, p. 161-214 (A: Chpt 52-55; B: Chpt 56-59; C: 60-63; D: 64-68; E: 69-72)
21--M: Kempe, p. 214-297 (A: Chpt 73-77; B: 78-82; C: 83-87; Liz: 88-89; D: BkII Chpt 1-5; E:
E: Chpt 6-10)
Student led discussion:
23--W: Kempe Criticism--Groups A, B--Summaries
25--F: Christine de Pizan, from The Book of the Cities of Ladies (handout)
Student led discussion:
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28--M: Paper #1 Due
16th Century Women Writers--no reading
Mar 1--W: Lanyer (Fitzmaurice), p. 23-31 (Intro., Author's Dream, Virtuous Reader)
Student led discussion:
3--F: Lanyer (Fitzmaurice), p. 32-38 (Salve Deus Rex Judaeorrum) (6 stanzas for each group A:
lines 1-32, 745-760; B: lines 761-808; C: lines 809-856; D: lines 857-904; E: lines 905-952)
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6--M: Cary (Fitzmaurice), Mariam--Acts I and II (Group A Scene)
8--W: Cary (Fitzmaurice), Acts III and IV (Group B Scene)
10--F: Cary (Fitzmaurice), Act V
Cary Criticism-- Group C, D--Summaries
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MARCH 11-19: SPRING BREAK
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20--M: Lady Mary Wroth
22--W: Wroth (Fitzmaurice), p. 126-145 (The Countess of Montgomery's Uranium) (A: Tale of the
Cephalonian Lovers; B: The Throne of Love; C: The Tale of Veralinda
and Leonia; D: The Tale of Lindamira; E: The Tomb of Love)
Student led discussion:
24--F: Cavendish (Fitzmaurice), p. 152-173 (Sociable Letters) (NOTE: for this assignment, read only
those letters assigned to your group--A: to her husband, #4, #5, #30;
B: #32, 34, #35, #36; C: #39, #42, #46, #47; D: #54, #56, #68, #113; E: #123, #164, #173)
Cavendish Criticism--Group E, A--Summaries
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27--M: Paper #2 Due
Katherine Philips
29--W: Philips (Fitzmaurice), p. 181-194 (Untitled Juvenila-Wiston Vault)
Student led discussion:
31--F: Philips (Fitzmaurice), p. 194-208 (Friendships in Emblem-To his Grace Gilbert)
Philips Criticism: Groups B, C --Summaries (don't have to read poems)
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April 3--M: Behn (Fitzmaurice), The Rover Acts I and II (220-246) (Group C Scene)
5--W: Behn (Fitzmaurice), Act III-Act IV. scene ii ( 246-274) (Group D Scene)
7--F: Behn, Act IV. scene iii-Act V (274-296) (Group E Scene)
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10--M: Behn, Oroonoko, Intro. p. 3-13 (Historical Context); and p. 32-66
12--W: Behn, p. 67-100
Student led discussion:
14--F: Behn, Part Two: Group A: Adaptations; B: Literary Context, C: West Africa in Triangle
Trade (assign different sections to different people)
Behn Criticism: Groups D, E--Summaries
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17--M: Paper #3 Due
Anne Finch
19--W: Finch (Fitzmaurice), p. 348-367 (Death of King James-Death of the Queen)
Student led discussion:
21--F: The Swetnam Controversy (Fitzmaurice), p. 373-385
Student led discussion:
24--M: Burney, Volume I, p. 51-177
26--W: Burney, Volume II, p. 177-308
Student led discussion:
28--F: Burney, Volume III, p. 308-436
Student led discussion:
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May 1--M: Conferences
3--W: Conferences
5--F: Conferences
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8--M: Final Paper Due
10--W: Presentations
12--F: Presentations