English IV
British Literature
Course Outline 1999-2000
instructor:  Mrs. Wheeler


 


Unit One 
The Ultimate in Brit Lit!!!  The Bard himself!!!  William Shakespeare at his best in Hamlet
    This will be ON-YOUR-FEET/IN-YOUR-FACE  Drama!
Themes:  revenge, corruption, identity and truth.
 

    The language is not IN the way; the language IS the way.


Unit Two Detail From the Bayeux Tapestry
History of the English Language --where we get our weird and wonderful collection of words.
 Three invasions and a cultural revolution.
 Invasion number 1:  The Anglo-Saxon Invasions: the Beginnings of English
 Invasion number 2:  The Vikings and Danes with their Germanic words
 Invasion number 3:  The Norman Conquest: French becomes the language of  the    ruling class of England.
 A cultural revolution:  The Renaissance adds an Influx of Latin words from the Church

                             Unit Three 
Anglo-Saxon:
 Beowulf- The original mother of all monsters and the original warrior hero.
  the oldest English language poem in a setting of grandeur by Ian Serralier
  (There is more to poetry than end rhyme)
 

                                 Unit Four Camelot3.gif
 The archetypal hero and the quest
The Hero's Journey
 Chivalry
 The making of a legend.
Camelot and the Arthurian Legend
Medieval Life -
 

                                                                                                                    Unit Five 
                                                                                                                                    The Middle Ages:
Canterbury Tales  by Geoffrey Chaucer
The rhyming couplet
 Inferencing characterization
 Comparative societal roles from the Prologue and career exploration for today.
Writing the imaginary pilgrimage with your chosen companions
Noght a word spake he moore than was neede,
And that was seyd in form and reverence
And short and quyk and ful of hy sentence.
                        .........Geoffrey Chaucer 1386

 


   Unit 6                   British Poetry and You 
 Traditional and Modern approaches to beautiful language.
  understanding poetic devices
  meeting the famous and not-so-famous
 

The Semester Project:
Senior Memory Book Assignment
 

 


Notice:  The above is a probable outline of the content and schedule of English IV this year (1999-2000) Please realize that all dates and titles are more or less tentative, somewhat negotiable, and subject to change with minimum notice and regret.

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