Devolving the Renaissance (U01493)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : LLC-3-U01493

Students will be introduced to the literature of the reigns of Mary Stewart and James VI: the course examines particular literary and cultural issues germane to this period of Scottish literature but which encourage reflection upon ideas and concepts relevant to a broad understanding of Renaissance literature within a European context. The course is thematically constructed around the concept of 'desire', and the chosen literary readings are designed to prompt examination of how 'desire' is made manifest aesthetically and conceptually in a range of writing, erotic, political, and religious in scope. One of the overarching aims of the course is enable students to challenge conventional perceptions of what constituted the 'Renaissance' in Britain and, consequently, to invite reflection about conventional literary categorisation, the idea of 'the canon', and the range of critical perspectives which are open to contemporary readers of Renaissance literature.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : Passes in English or Scottish Literature 1 and English or Scottish or American Literature 2, with a mark of 50 or above at the first attempt in the second year course.

? Special Arrangements for Entry : Numbers are limited and students taking degrees not involving English or Scottish literature need the written approval of the head of English Literature

? Costs : Essential course texts

Variants

? This course has variants for part year visiting students, as follows

Devolving the Renaissance (VS1) (Not being delivered)

Subject Areas

Home subject area

English Literature, (School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, Schedule G)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

? Other Required Attendance : 1 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

To understand:

- The distinctive nature of Scottish literature in the period, and how the idea of a 'national' culture was articulated by Jacobean writers.
- The linguistic and rhetorical practice of Scottish writers pre- and post Union of the Crowns, and the ideological reasons informing language choice.
- How the production of poetry in manuscript rather than print influences literary style and content.
- The relationship between politics and literature in Renaissance Scotland. Of particular interest will be the representation of sovereignty and power in the work of James VI and the poetry of his courtiers pre- and post-Union.
- Scottish and European ideas about the nature of literary art in the period
- The rhetoric and philosophy of Renaissance love poetry in general and its Scottish manifestations. Particular attention will be given to the movements of Petrarchism and Neoplatonism.
- The use of European literary movements such as 'mannerism' and 'baroque' as literary and cultural paradigms to help our understanding of Scotland's literature at this time.
- The influence of different doctrinal forms of religion (eg. Catholicism and Calvinism) on literary discourses of the Scottish Renaissance, and the relationship between devotion and aesthetics.
- The relationship between literature and gender in the period: the portrayal of 'feminine' and 'masculine' desires
- The literary and cultural contribution of women in the Scottish Jacobean period