Readings in Renaissance Literature / Poetry of the Renaissance
FRW 4214 / FRW 6346
Spring 2003
- Dr. William Calin
Graduate Research Professor - Tuesday Periods 9-11
- CBD 210
I. Theme of Course - Six Poets of the Golden Age
The period extending from 1400 to 1660 is one of extraordinary richness in the production of lyric poetry. The impact of poetry, both within France and outside the kingdom, in both esthetic and historical terms, is such that we can consider these years to have been a Golden Age. This course will focus on six poets from the Renaissance and early Baroque, that is the sixteenth century plus two decades of the seventeenth. These are Louise Labé, Joachim du Bellay, Pierre de Ronsard, Jean de Sponde, Agrippa d’Aubigné, and Jean de La Ceppède. One session will be devoted to the Occitan Baroque, in this case writers in Provençal. We shall look at the relationship of literature to historical reality: the mind-set of a feudal-aristocratic and classical-Christian culture; an age of enthusiasm for Graeco-Roman Antiquity and for the Wars of Religion. Central to our preoccupations will be gender (attitudes toward women) and devotion (attitudes toward the church, death, and God). In other words, Eros and Caritas. We shall also scrutinize the workings of literature itself, with special attention to image and archetype, from the perspective of modern criticism. Among the approaches to be employed: Freudian, Jungian, Marxist, gender-related, narratology, and intertextuality. We shall concentrate on the close reading of selected brief texts or brief passages from longer texts.
II. Student Work & Expectations
- Students are expected to keep up with reading assignments and to participate actively in class discussion.
- One ten-to-twelve page paper (FRW 4214) or one twelve-to-fifteen page paper (FRW 6346).
- No exams.
- No incompletes.
III. Texts
- Floyd Gray, ed. Anthologie de la poésie française du XVIe siècle. Charlottesville, VA: Rookwood Press.
IV. Schedule
January
- 7 Introduction
- 14 Louise Labé
- 21 Joachim du Bellay
- 28 Du Bellay
February
- 4 Pierre de Ronsard
- 11 Ronsard
- 18 Ronsard
- 25 Jean de Sponde
March
- 4 Agrippa d’Aubigné
- 11 Secular Holiday
- 18 D’Aubigné
- 25 D’Aubigné
April
- 1 Jean de La Ceppède
- 8 La Ceppède
- 15 Occitan Baroque
- 22 Reading Period
V. Contact Information
- Office: 236 Dauer Hall
- Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday Per. 8
- Office Phone: 392-2016 x 238
- Home Phone: 373-3739
- Courriel: wcalin@rll.ufl.edu
