Preface: How to Use this Book

In English 2201 we have been given a tall order: to survey a thousand years of British literary history. It is impossible to share with you all the characters, the narratives, and the textual moments that have captivated us as scholars of premodern literature. Yet, while crafting this textbook, we have sought to offer the most compelling assortment possible. This diverse, engaging selection of texts will allow you to form a nuanced impression of premodern literature while questioning what it has meant to write in English over the centuries. The Prelude to this textbook will introduce you to the monumental changes that textual culture has undergone since the early Middle Ages—from the specialist labors of medieval manuscript production to the mechanical and cultural power of the printing press all the way to the age of digital literacy. The following units cover four discreet literary periods:

Pre-Conquest Medieval Literature (origins–1066),

Post-Conquest Medieval Literature (1066–1485),

Renaissance Literature (1485–1660), and finally

Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Literature (1660–1800).

Each week of the course has its own bundle: a collection of texts along with supplementary readings and lectures. Bundles include readings on cultural and historical developments, video lectures, reading questions, and writing prompts for your weekly recitations. Each bundle has its own theme to get you thinking about broader trends, connections, or problems in the history of British literature. Whether you are delving into the significance of monasteries and manuscripts in “Cloister and Codex”, casting a critical eye on the relationship dynamics at play in courtly romance in “The Invention of (B)romantic Love,” or exploring Renaissance sonnets as a kind of literary “game” in “Politics and Poesy,” we hope you will find the bundles engaging. The bundles are the main dishes on this “tasting menu” of British literature that we call English 2201.

One of the primary goals in designing this course for online delivery has been to provide a multifaceted and stimulating experience as you work your way through the textbook. Literary texts have been reproduced from open-source versions, modernized where appropriate, and annotated for ease of reading. Readings contain notes on tricky, interesting, or otherwise strange portions of text. We have provided several avenues for immersing yourself in the course material and situating yourself in relevant historical contexts: the reading questions that accompany the primary sources will help guide you through some of the longer texts, while “mastery checks” will make sure you’re on track; lecture videos appear consistently throughout the book and have been broken up into manageable lengths; and accessible readings will offer some fascinating insight into what was happening “behind the scenes” during the premodern period.

Above all, we are excited to hear what you make of this literature. How does it speak to you and your experience? How can we make it matter in the present moment? What connections will you draw across these wide temporal gaps and between these thematic nodes? We sincerely hope you will avail yourself of your recitations (synchronous and asynchronous) as opportunities to share your unique perspective and insight into these fascinating texts.

The author of one guidebook for medieval anchoresses (whom you will learn much more about soon!) put it perfectly when they wrote: thu schalt reden yeornliche ant longe (you ought to read eagerly and widely).