English 422, Literature and Warfare
Julianne WerlinFall 2012
MW 12:00-1:50
Office Hours: MW 2:00-3:30 and by appointment
Course objectives
In seventeenth-century Europe, only four years were entirely free of war. Over the course of the century, warfare became increasingly dangerous as armies expanded, adopting sophisticated military technology in the process, including new fortifications, more accurate guns, and bayonets. England was spared some of the bloodiest fighting on the continent only to find itself embroiled in a civil war that radically reshaped its literary and political culture. From Shakespeare’s military heroes—a catalog that includes Macbeth, Othello, Caesar and Marc Antony—to Milton’s depiction of Satan as a defeated general, seventeenth-century literature reflects the belligerence of the era. This course examines the way seventeenth-century English writers reckoned with and reimagined warfare both at home and abroad, focusing on the questions they themselves asked: What makes a war just? What are the social and political consequences of warfare? What moral role do the arts have in a time of war? And above all, what literary forms can best capture the heroic, tragic, or merely sordid atmosphere of battle? Texts will include Francis Bacon's Essays, Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, Andrew Marvell's Civil War poetry, Milton's Paradise Lost and John Dryden's Aureng-Zebe. In addition, we will look at some of the most influential military literature in the period, including Machiavelli’s Art of War.
Schedule of Readings and Assignments:
Week 1
M, 8/27: Introduction; historical context; George Gascoigne, from “The Fruits of
War”
W, 8/29: Walter Raleigh, A Discourse of the Original of War; Henry V, Act I
Week 2
M, 9/3: Henry V;Clausewitz, On War, “What is War” and “Purpose and Means in
War”
W, 9/5: Henry V; Montaigne, Essays, “Of Glory”
Week 3
M, 9/10: Antony and Cleopatra
W, 9/12: Antony and Cleopatra; Plutarch, “Were the Athenians More Famous in War or in Wisdom?”
Week 4
M, 9/17: Macbeth
W, 9/19: Macbeth, Guicciardini, selected aphorisms (Dallington translation), 2.10, 2.37, 3.10, 3.20, 3.37, 4.5.
Week 5
M, 9/24: Francis Bacon, The Wisdom of the Ancients, “Introduction”; “Perseus, or, War”; “Acheron, or, Battle”; Ovid, Metamorphoses, “Perseus”; Natalis Comes, “Medusa”
W, 9/26: Francis Bacon, “Of the True Greatness of Kingdoms or Estates”; Machiavelli, The Art of War, selections: Book I, on citizen armies
FIRST PAPER DUE 9/26
Week 6
M, 10/1: Francis Bacon, Essays: “Of Vicissitude of Things,” “Of Seditions and Troubles,” “Of Fortune”; Machiavelli, The Prince, Chapter XV, Chapter XXV, “Fortune”
W, 10/3: Introduction to the Civil War; poetry: Andrew Marvell, Abraham Cowley, John Milton, George Wither; Barbara Donagan, “Codes and Conduct in the English Civil War”
Week 7
M, 10/8: “Upon Appleton House”; Vegetius, selections, “General rules of war,”
“On camps”
W, 10/10: Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan; selections; Waller, “Panegyrick to my Lord Protector”; Marvell, “The First Anniversary”
Week 8
M, 10/15: Restoration poetry: Dryden, “Astrea Redux”; Waller, “To the King, upon his Majesty’s Happy Return”
W, 10/17: Margaret Cavendish, Bell in Campo; Thomas Heywood, The General History of Women, “Of Warlike Women, and Those of Masculine Vertue”
Week 9
M, 10/22: Margaret Cavendish, Bell in Campo
W, 10/24: Paradise Lost, 1; Clausewitz, “On Military Genius”
SECOND PAPER DUE 10/24
Week 10
M, 10/29: Paradise Lost, 2-3; Samuel Marolois, selection from The Art of
Fortification (the history of fortification)
W, 10/31: NO READING
Week 11
M, 11/5: Paradise Lost, 4-5; Revelation
W, 11/7: Paradise Lost, 6; Elaine Scarry, The Body in Pain, selections
Week 12
M, 11/12: Paradise Lost, 6-7; Martin van Creveld, Technology and War, selections, “The Rise of Professionalism” 139-147; “Conclusions” 314-320.
W, 11/14: Paradise Lost, 8-9
Week 13
M, 11/19: Paradise Lost, 10-11
W, 11/21: NO CLASS, THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
Week 14
M, 11/26: Paradise Lost, 12; Margaret Mead, “War Is Only an Invention—Not a Biological Necessity”
W, 11/28: Dryden, Aureng-Zebe
Week 15
M, 12/3: Dryden, Aureng-Zebe; Justus Lipsius, selections
W, 12/5: Conclusions
FINAL PAPER DUE 12/14
Assignments:
Students will write three literary critical papers of 6-8 pages each, on topics to be assigned. Papers should use 12-point Times New Roman font and one-inch margins. Each student will also give one 10-minute presentation. Presentations will consist of a detailed close-reading of a passage, set of themes, keyword, or character in that day’s text, followed by two questions posed to your classmates for discussion in the seminar. Please bring written copies of your two questions to hand out to your classmates on the day of your presentation.
Grading:
Class participation: 15%
Paper 1: 25%
Paper 2: 25%
Paper 3: 25%
Presentation: 10%
Late papers will be penalized five points per day. If you need an extension due to illness or emergency, please contact me in advance.
Course Policies:
Electronics
Please do not use your laptops, cell phones, or other devices during seminar. If you have special grounds for using a keyboard, please let me know.
Attendance
Students are expected to attend all sessions of the seminar. If you have legitimate reasons for missing a session, please contact me in advance.
Student Behavior
Behavior that persistently or grossly interferes with classroom activities is considered disruptive behavior and may be subject to disciplinary action. Such behavior inhibits other students’ ability to learn and an instructor’s ability to teach. A student responsible for disruptive behavior may be required to leave class pending discussion and resolution of the problem and may be reported to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs for disciplinary action. These strictures may extend to behaviors outside the classroom that are related to the course.
Students with Disabilities
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m.--5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.
Academic Integrity
USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one's own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another's work as one's own. All students are expected to understand and abide by these principles. SCampus, the Student Guidebook, contains the Student Conduct Code in Section 11.00, while the recommended sanctions are located in Appendix A:
Students will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for further review, should there be any suspicion of academic dishonesty. The Review process can be found at: