Edmund Spenser and the Art of Theory
ENGLISH 229S
Subject & Catalog Number
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Course Information
Description
A seminar on the poetry of Spenser and the practice of theory. In contrast to Milton, Spenser thinks as he writes and also lets the poem think for him. He does not think with poetry but through it. One consequence is that the kind of poem he writes—an allegory—invites us to think along with it as well, in our own terms. In the seminar, we will attend to the tensions in Spenser’s imagination between personal expression, social and political structure, and cosmic order. Alongside the poems, especially "The Faerie Queene", we will read some major works of literary theorists from the postwar period to the present day.
School
Faculty of Arts & Sciences
Credits
4
Cross Reg
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
Department
English
Course Component
Seminar
General Education
N/A
Quantitative Reasoning with Data
N/A
Divisional Distribution
None
Course Level
Primarily for Graduate Students
