ENGL 20225 - Seducing God and Other Lovers: Faith, Love, and Devotion in Renaissance Poetry

Institution:

University of Notre Dame

Subject:

English

Description:

From the popular series The Tudors to the recent novel Wolf Hall, from the classic play A Man for All Seasons to big-screen films like Elizabeth: The Golden Age, our culture is fascinated by the English Renaissance, that period when religious devotion and erotic love seemed to exist side by side. In this course we will explore the secular and sacred love poetry of this fascinating period of literary history. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries - the period of the Reformation and the rebirth of humanism - England experienced an intense flowering of literature, both secular and religious, from the sonnets of Shakespeare to the passionate prayers of George Herbert and John Donne. Paradoxically, the period's religious verse drew its force from a reaction against "courtly" and "profane" love poetry at the same time as it was deeply influenced by that poetry both in form and content. Hence, we will examine the influences and conflicts within this body of English literature, poetry praying to and seducing lovers both human and divine. We will explore questions such as: how do the secular and erotic influence religious poetry? What are the conflicts (and similarities) between sacred and profane love? How do faith and religion shape literature? How does poetry represent or build love and communion? And what connections can we make between the self, culture, literature, and devotion? Authors covered include William Shakespeare, John Donne, George Herbert, and John Milton.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.nd.edu

Phone Number:

(574) 631-5000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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