ENGL 18 Poetry, Prose, and Drama of the English Restoration, 1660-1689
Together, we shall study poetry, prose and drama written and performed during the reign of the last two Stuart kings, Charles II and James II. No period of English literature is so deeply and even obsessively concerned with both politics and religion. This makes the verse, drama and prose of John Dryden, Andrew Marvell, John Milton and John Bunyan particularly interesting. We will also take time for some comedies typical of the period by William Wycherly and William Congreve, and study Aphra Behn’s masterpiece, Oroonoko. There will be two areas of special attention: the theater and the literary responses to public events, such as the Great Plague and Fire of 1666, the Popish Plot, and the Exclusion Crisis.
Instructor
Not being offered in 2022-23
Department-Specific Course Categories
Course Group I