FRS 001 — Sec. 003 — (1 unit) — CRN 73406 —W 4:10-6:00pm — 156 Voorhies
Shakespeare’s Sonnets

Instructor: Richard Levin, Department of English, College of Letters and Science

Description: The subject matter is a selection of sonnets from Shakespeare’s “Sonnets.” The “Sonnets” were published near the end of Shakespeare’s dramatic career but they may have been largely written while Shakespeare was writing his comedies and history plays. The “Sonnets” have often been thought to have an autobiographical element—the speaker is a poet and probably a dramatist, he is familiar with theatrical terms, and he refers to himself as Will; whether the “Sonnets” are autobiographical or not, they seem near the imaginative core of Shakespeare’s works. The Sonnets are also rich poetry. The main purposes of the class are to (1) help students develop skill reading and writing about poetry and (2) introduce students to Shakespeare.

Format: The seminar will meet for 5 two-hour sessions (in five successive weeks). Students will prepare for each session by reading about ten sonnets and writing a short e-mail on one or more of these sonnets. At each session, we will discuss the sonnets assigned for the day. Grading: The course requires 5 short e-mail assignments, a 5-page paper due at the end of the course, and participation in discussion at each of the 5 sessions. Each of these three components has a weight of 33%.

About the Instructor: Professor Richard Levin is a member of the faculty in the Department of English. His specialization is Shakespeare and early modern English literature generally.