ENGL 1101 - Introduction to English Literature

The Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley proclaimed poets ‘the unacknowledged legislators of the world.’ But can poetry, by which Shelley means literature more broadly, really change the world? In this introductory course, students will read some influential works in English literary history, and encounter debates about the function, power and reach of literary texts that will lead them to consider whether literature can truly effect change in the real world. Students will examine a variety of texts and genres, including novels, life writing, drama, and poetry, together with contemporary approaches to reading them. The course will develop the skills essential to English literary studies, including a discipline-specific vocabulary, and skills in literary and critical analysis, grammatically correct written expression, and research.