EGL 206 - Gender in Renaissance Literature

Course Units: 1.0

This course explores English Renaissance texts from a variety of genres with an eye to the gender norms that they both created and critiqued. On the one hand, the early modern period offered very distinct roles for men and women. Men were expected to abide by a code of honor that emphasized bravery and action, while women were expected to be chaste, silent, and obedient. On the other hand, there were countless examples of these norms being challenged. Reading plays, poems, speeches, and conduct manuals, we will consider the complexity of their presentations of gender. Prerequisite(s): Any 100 level English course or a score of 5 on the AP English Language or Literature and Composition test. CC: HUL, HUM, WAC, JLIT ISP: GSWS