ENG 1210

This course uses the idea of the hero to explore the literature of England from its beginning to 1789. The course will introduce such texts as Beowulf (the Anglo-Saxon epic hero), Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (the romance hero), The Faerie Queene (the allegorical hero), Paradise Lost (the biblical epic hero) and Gulliver's Travels (the satiric hero). Along the way, students will meet other characters, including lovers, gods, and monsters, who challenge and support the hero. This is a course in reading, appreciation, and critical analysis within an historical framework.