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This module examines the literature and culture of the English Renaissance and Restoration periods. This dynamic period witnessed the expansion of vernacular English, the development of a literary culture, new concepts of gender and identity, and political and religious turmoil. The module introduces students to a diverse range of writers and literary forms. The module begins by considering ideas of writing that developed in England from the late sixteenth century, before examining the poetry and drama of Shakespeare and his contemporaries in relation to evolving questions of self-fashioning, political power, cultural difference, gender and also class. Moving into the early seventeenth century, the module considers developments in literary styles through an examination of the sonnets of writers such as Mary Wroth as well as the metaphysical poetry of John Donne. It also assesses how political changes and religious debate are refracted in the work of writers including Andrew Marvell, Milton, and Dryden. By the end of the module, students should have an understanding of the major literary and cultural innovations of the period and the key contexts that informed them.
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RENAISSANCE TO RESTORATION
