ENGL 264(S) Epic and Mock-Epic (Gateway) (W)
This gateway course begins with three masterpieces of world literature, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and Milton's Paradise Lost. We will examine metamorphoses of the epic genre from classical antiquity to modernity, its characteristic attributes, traditional elements, and radical transformations. A key development is the rise of mock-epic, such as Pope's The Rape of the Lock, Byron's Don Juan, Joyce's Ulysses, and Eliot's The Waste Land. Since "epic" usually means long and demanding, some of these texts will be read selectively, stressing attentive reading rather than exhaustive coverage.
Format: discussion/seminar. Requirements: six analytic papers, roughly every other week, ranging from two to five pages. Evaluation based on participation and written work.
Prerequisite: a 100-level English course, except 150. Enrollment limit: 19 students (expected: 19). Preference to sophomores.
(Pre-1700)
Hour: R. BELL