Projected Class Activities and Reading Assignments
English 274: Literary Genres and Periods
Spring 2001
Wednesday January 17, 2001:
Begin discussion of Oedipus. Use notes posted in Blackboard to discuss various aspects
of the play. Determine whether or not students understood the play – which parts might
have been confusing.
CONNECTIONS: To what extent is an understanding of the nature of tragedy important
in any interpretation of Oedipus the King? In what ways does William Shakespeare’s
Hamlet also fulfill this criteria of tragedy? Does Shakespeare tend to support or
contradict Sophocles’ assumptions?
Friday, January 19, 2001:
Go through the period chart and briefly describe each literary period’s label. Then look
specifically at Old and Middle English periods. Try to determine dates. Do the dates
match those on the timeline? What types of genres were prevalent in those periods?
Develop a brief “word” document that indicates the answers to the questions listed above.
Submit that document to the instructor for placement in the course documents section of
Blackboard.
Read the following pages in Literature and Its Writers for Monday: Chapter 7 What is a
Poem? pp. 601-605 Chapter 8 The Elements of Poetry pp. 609-626 (particular focus on
the literary terms associated with poetry)
Monday, January 22, 2001:
What is a poem? Is it possible to create a working definition for the class? Begin the
exploration of the elements of poetry. What are they? Are students able to define them,
identify them, describe them? Examine the lyric poem by Sir Thomas Wyatt on page
616. Use the glossary to determine the description of lyric poetry: see page 194 in
Glossary.
Wednesday, January 24, 2001:
Look at early ballads. (narrative poetry) Make comparisons to modern ballads. Use
glossary pp. 27-28 for description of ballad and a list of examples. Tie the ballad to a
time period, early (old or middle English?). Find a ballad and be prepared to present it to
the class demonstrating the characteristics which help you to identify it as a ballad.
Friday, January 26, 2001:
Monday, January 29, 2001
Wednesday, January 31, 2001
Friday, February 2, 2001