Department of English

The primary emphasis of the course will be on English poetry from 1660 to about 1750.  Authors to be studied include Samuel Butler, Dryden, Rochester, Thomson, Swift, Pope, and Johnson.  We will cover every major genre of the period, including literary epistle, various kinds of verse satire, the ode, dramatic prologues and epilogues, and important translations from modern and ancient languages.  A particular focus will be the long poem—Butler’s Hudibras.  Dryden’s Fables, Pope’s Homeric translations and The Dunciad, Thomson’s Seasons, and Young’s Night Thoughts.  Course work will include reports and one research paper.