ENG 113 - Introduction to British Literature

Course unit(s): 1
Meets GAR (students beginning prior to Fall 2024): Meets general academic requirement HU.
Meets Explore Core requirement (students beginning Fall 2024 and later): CE
From Will Shakespeare to Zadie Smith, Introduction to British Literature surveys the evolving vibrancy and relevance of British writing. Through close reading and analysis of selected texts by some of the most significant writers in the British tradition, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the major literary movements, themes and styles that have shaped British literature. The course begins with Shakespeare’s last play, The Tempest, and will then explore the works of writers such as Wordsworth, Coleridge and Mary Shelley (Frankenstein), Charlotte Bronte (Jane Eyre), James Joyce, D.H. Lawrence and Virginia Woolf. We will conclude by thinking about Post-colonialism and the Digital Age in Zadie Smith and other contemporary writers.

Recommended for those seeking an HU requirement, students thinking about a major or minor in English, students in the Education Program, or anyone simply burning to read and discuss a few great books. Satisfies departmental Poetry or Prose requirement.