ENGL 203: Survey of English Literature I
Dr. Scott O'Neil
Fall 2025
Face-to-Face
Section 1: MWF, 11am to 11:50am
Section 2: MWF, 2pm to 2:50pm
Fall 2025
Face-to-Face
Section 1: MWF, 11am to 11:50am
Section 2: MWF, 2pm to 2:50pm
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Week One
Monday, 8/18: Syllabus; Exeter Book Riddles; Norton Exeter Book Riddles
Wednesday, 8/20: "The Middle Ages"
Friday, 8/22: Elegies (Wanderer, Wife's Lament, and the Ruin)
Bonus Materials to explore: Exeter Book Digital Reader
Wednesday, 8/20: "The Middle Ages"
Friday, 8/22: Elegies (Wanderer, Wife's Lament, and the Ruin)
Bonus Materials to explore: Exeter Book Digital Reader
This is the Stephen Colbert clip I mentioned on Wednesday but could not find. The old English poem he mentions (the fragment that inspired all of Tolkien's Middle Earth writings) was located in the Exeter Book:
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Week Two
Monday, 8/25: Geoffrey of Monmouth (Read Chapters 10-15, starting on page 28); Bede
Wednesday, 8/27: Dream of the Rood; WTFArtHistory
Friday, 8/29: Anchoresses (Ancrene Wisse and Julian of Norwich)
Wednesday, 8/27: Dream of the Rood; WTFArtHistory
Friday, 8/29: Anchoresses (Ancrene Wisse and Julian of Norwich)
Week Three
Monday, 9/1: No class--Labor Day
Wednesday, 9/3: John Gower's Confessio Amantis
Friday, 9/5: Marie de France, Lanval and Milun
Wednesday, 9/3: John Gower's Confessio Amantis
Friday, 9/5: Marie de France, Lanval and Milun
Week Four
Monday, 9/8: The Camelot Project
Wednesday, 9/10: Gawain audio version (see video below with scary-looking hairy green dude)
Friday, 9/12: Malory, Morte Darthur
Wednesday, 9/10: Gawain audio version (see video below with scary-looking hairy green dude)
Friday, 9/12: Malory, Morte Darthur
Week Five
Monday, 9/15: Medieval Drama--Quem Quaeritis (please also watch the first accompanying video below).
Wednesday, 9/17: The Wakefield Second Shepherd's Play (please also watch the short 1954 performance linked in the second video below).
Friday, 9/19: Medieval drama in performance. Please watch the linked productions of Everyman as well as the three short pageants linked below.
Wednesday, 9/17: The Wakefield Second Shepherd's Play (please also watch the short 1954 performance linked in the second video below).
Friday, 9/19: Medieval drama in performance. Please watch the linked productions of Everyman as well as the three short pageants linked below.
Quem Quaeritis video to watch alongside the reading for 9/15:
1954 Cloisters production of the Wakefield Second Shepherd's Play to watch alongside the reading for 9/17:
Everyman performance to watch for our 9/19 class:
2014 York Cycle Fall of Man Pageant to watch for our 9/19 class:
2013 Chester Cycle Last Judgement Pageant to watch for our 9/19 class:
South African company's Uxor Noah Pageant to watch for our 9/19 class:
Week Six
Monday, 9/22: Valla and Erasmus
Wednesday, 9/24: Welcome to The Renaissance
Friday, 9/26: Sonnet packet
Wednesday, 9/24: Welcome to The Renaissance
Friday, 9/26: Sonnet packet
Bonus Material: For those of you who were really excited about the South African Mysteries, I uploaded the full production for you. Purely optional/for entertainment purposes only. :)
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Week Seven
Monday, 9/29: Faith in Translation reading; While not a replacement for a scholarly print edition, there are several websites where you can compare different versions/translations of the Bible, including Bible Gateway and Bible Study Tools.
Wednesday, 10/1: Ascham's The Schoolmaster and Juan Luis Vives's Tudor Schoolboy Life (please read "Students' Chatter").
Friday, 10/3: Bio on Edmund Spenser (which we'll be discussing on Monday of next week).
Wednesday, 10/1: Ascham's The Schoolmaster and Juan Luis Vives's Tudor Schoolboy Life (please read "Students' Chatter").
Friday, 10/3: Bio on Edmund Spenser (which we'll be discussing on Monday of next week).
Week Eight
Monday, 10/6: Book 1, Canto 1 of The Faerie Queene
Wednesday, 10/8: Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepherd" and Raleigh's "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd." Alas, I couldn't find a good version of Lyly's entertainments, so you have nothing to read there. We'll briefly chat about it in class though, using this LINK and this IMAGE.
Friday, 10/10: Fall Recess. No classes today.
Wednesday, 10/8: Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepherd" and Raleigh's "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd." Alas, I couldn't find a good version of Lyly's entertainments, so you have nothing to read there. We'll briefly chat about it in class though, using this LINK and this IMAGE.
Friday, 10/10: Fall Recess. No classes today.
Week Nine
Monday, 10/13: Gender and the wider world--Excerpts from the Swetnam Controversy (Swetnam, Speght, etc).
Wednesday, 10/15: Mid-semester movie break--John Lyly's court comedy, Galatea. No new reading, but if you want to follow along with the play text, you may do so HERE.
Friday, 10/17: Mid-semester movie break--John Lyly's court comedy, Galatea.
Wednesday, 10/15: Mid-semester movie break--John Lyly's court comedy, Galatea. No new reading, but if you want to follow along with the play text, you may do so HERE.
Friday, 10/17: Mid-semester movie break--John Lyly's court comedy, Galatea.
Week Ten
Monday, 10/20: Race and the wider world: please read The Elizabethan Image of Africa.
Wednesday, 10/22: Shakespeare--an introduction (no new reading)
Friday, 10/24: Shakespeare--King John, Act 1. Use the free Folger edition (link to the website, or direct link to the PDF).
Wednesday, 10/22: Shakespeare--an introduction (no new reading)
Friday, 10/24: Shakespeare--King John, Act 1. Use the free Folger edition (link to the website, or direct link to the PDF).
Week Eleven
Monday, 10/27: Shakespeare--King John, Acts 2 and 3.
Wednesday, 10/29: Shakespeare--King John, Acts 4 and 5.
Friday, 10/31: No formal class meeting: Individual Conferences to discuss the midterm and your projects.
Wednesday, 10/29: Shakespeare--King John, Acts 4 and 5.
Friday, 10/31: No formal class meeting: Individual Conferences to discuss the midterm and your projects.
Week Twelve
Monday, 11/3: No formal class meeting: Individual Conferences to discuss the midterm and your projects.
Wednesday, 11/5: No formal class meeting: Individual Conferences to discuss the midterm and your projects.
Friday, 11/7: Transition and push towards Great Britain, and thoughts of divine right to rule. Please read the material by James Shapiro on the Gunpowder Plot.
Wednesday, 11/5: No formal class meeting: Individual Conferences to discuss the midterm and your projects.
Friday, 11/7: Transition and push towards Great Britain, and thoughts of divine right to rule. Please read the material by James Shapiro on the Gunpowder Plot.
Week Thirteen
Monday, 11/10: John Milton's short poem "Lycidas."
Wednesday, 11/12: Book 9 of Paradise Lost.
Friday, 11/14: Samuel Pepys' Diary (please read the entries for April 23, 1661, September 2 and 5, 1666, and one other date of your choosing.
Wednesday, 11/12: Book 9 of Paradise Lost.
Friday, 11/14: Samuel Pepys' Diary (please read the entries for April 23, 1661, September 2 and 5, 1666, and one other date of your choosing.
Week Fourteen
Monday, 11/17: Overbury's Characters. Please read "A Wife" and any three additional characters of your choosing.
Wednesday, 11/19: 17th century poetry packet. Read them all, but "adopt" one for special attention.
Friday, 11/21: Emergent feminism--Aemilia Lanyer and Mary Astell.
Wednesday, 11/19: 17th century poetry packet. Read them all, but "adopt" one for special attention.
Friday, 11/21: Emergent feminism--Aemilia Lanyer and Mary Astell.
Week Fifteen
Monday, 11/24: Thanksgiving Break--No classes.
Wednesday, 11/26: Thanksgiving Break--No classes.
Friday, 11/28: Thanksgiving Break--No classes.
Wednesday, 11/26: Thanksgiving Break--No classes.
Friday, 11/28: Thanksgiving Break--No classes.
Week Sixteen
Monday, 12/1: Aphra Behn's Oroonoko.
Wednesday, 12/3: Workshop time for final projects.
Friday, 12/5: Workshop time for final projects.
Wednesday, 12/3: Workshop time for final projects.
Friday, 12/5: Workshop time for final projects.