120009 PS Literature: Introductory Seminar (2007W)

This introductory seminar focuses on texts written in the first half of the 17th century which is also known as the Jacobean (1603-25) and the Caroline (1625-49) era. In contrast to the 'golden' age of Elizabeth I (1558-1603), these periods may be considered as times of crisis, doubt and disillusionment. The acquisition of new knowledge and the rise of the natural sciences shattered the foundations of the traditional world picture and the humanist notion of man as the centre of the universe. The texts that we are going to discuss negotiate these issues of intellectual debate: Shakespeare, Hamlet, Jonson, The Alchemist, Middleton/Rowley, The Changeling, Bacon The New Atlantis, Godwin, The Man in the Moone, and a selection of 'Metaphysical' poems written by Donne and others. Requirements: short presentation, written final exam, term paper.