huji2021/22

MILTON: MAJOR POETRY AND PROSE S. Budick
Course number: 44863 Department of English
Wednesday, 14:30-16:00 beginning on Zoom


SYLLABUS, 2021-22

Texts: In the first semester students can use the extensive Milton selections in volume 1 of The Norton Anthology of English Literature, eighth edition (or later), ed. Stephen Greenblatt et. al (New York: Norton, 2006)—or any other edition of Milton’s poetry (including a good annotated edition of the full Paradise Lost) that they may own. For the second semester, at the point we will be proceeding to Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes, our text will be Milton: Complete Shorter Poems, ed. John Carey (London: Longman, 1971 or later). This volume will be available at the Academon Book Store on Mount Scopus or can be purchased on line, for example, from the excellent service of the Book Depository, U.K

Course requirements:

1. In each of nine weeks of each semester (according to the student's choice) students are asked to write a half- to one-page paper about any single word or phrase in the reading assigned for a given week. Students should please send their papers to me at sbudick@yahoo.com by 9 p.m. on the Tuesday evening preceding the class in which the assigned reading is to be discussed. To a considerable extent, the topics to be discussed in class will be determined by challenging papers.

2. Timely and regular attendance are course requirements, since without them we will not understand each others' comments in discussion. Please be on time, whether to the Zoom or classroom meeting. (You're welcome to bring a sandwich and/or something to drink to the class meeting—on the Zoom as well.) The first few minutes of each class meeting are particularly important, since we will then set out many of the principal questions and topics for that meeting’s discussion. No more than two unexcused absences are allowed in each semester.

Reception hours: when safety permits, by appointment, in room 6616 of the Humanities Building. Otherwise, you should feel free to contact me anytime by email, sbudick@yahoo.com


 
Milton: Major Poetry and Prose: 2021-22

READINGS FOR THE FIRST SEMESTER

13 October Introduction; “On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity”

20 October “On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity” continued

27 October “On Shakespeare,” “How Soon Hath Time,” “On the New Forcers of Conscience”

3 November “L’Allegro” and “Il Penseroso”

10 November “Lycidas”

17 November “Lycidas” continued

24 November “To the Lord General Cromwell,” “When I Consider How My Light is Spent,” “On the Late Massacre in Piedmont,” Methout I Saw My Late Espoused Saint”

1 December Paradise Lost I

8 December Paradise Lost II

15 December Paradise Lost III

22 December Paradise Lost IV

39 December Paradise Lost V

5 January Paradise Lost VI

12 January Paradise Lost VII

READINGS FOR THE SECOND SEMESTER

9 March Paradise Lost VIII

16 March Paradise Lost IX

23 March Paradise Lost X

30 March Paradise Lost XI

6 April Paradise Lost XII

27 April “The Reason of Church Government” and selections from “Areopagitica”

11 May other prose works, to be made available on Moodle

18 May Paradise Regained

25 May Paradise Regained continued

1 June Paradise Regained continued

8 June Samson Agonistes

15 June Samson Agonistes continued

22 June Samson Agonistes continued