English 250, section 1: Literature of the English Revolution

We will track the controversies that dominated public life in the generation before the outbreak of war (with particular emphasis on the Martin Marprelate phenomenon and the furor excited by the “Book of Sports”), explore the textual remains of social movements made possible by the abolition of monarchy (with emphasis on the Diggers and the Levellers), and closely read the first books of poetry written in the aftermath of the invention of the newspaper. We will also read a fair amount of secondary literature. Each student will give a brief in-class presentation and produce a research paper.