CCS 110: Milton
Fall 2011
Professor Michael O’Connell
Class meetings: Monday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 10:20. CCS 164B

Office hours: Monday, Wednesday 11 a.m. to 12, South Hall 2721, and by appointment.
Phone: 805 451-1733
Email: oconnell@english.ucsb.edu (please feel free to use e-mail as an extension of office hours for any questions on the reading or on Milton and the 17th century).

Class webpage: http:/english.ucsb.edu/faculty/oconnell/milton

Class listserve: milton@english.ucsb.edu. With this address you can send a message or query to the entire class.

Required text: John Milton, The Complete Poetry and Essential Prose, eds. William Kerrigan, John Rumrich, and Stephen M. Fallon (Modern Library, 2007). Hardcover.

Written work: there will be two critical papers, a close reading of an epic simile from the early books of Paradise Lost due near midterm, and a longer essay on the poem due near the end of the quarter. In addition, there will be some short response papers and class presentations on issues of significance in Milton’s intellectual world.

Attendance: because we’re a small, seminar-sized group, regular attendance and participation in discussions are essential. Please let me know via email if you have to miss a class.

Reading assignments (please read each assignment before the class for which it will be the subject of discussion):

Monday, September 26: Introductory class. "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity," "On the University Carrier," "Another on the Same".
Wednesday, September 28: L'Allegro and Il Penseroso," Sonnet 7, “How soon hath time"

Monday, October 3 : A Masque Performed at Ludlow Castle
Wednesday, October 5: “Lycidas,” Sonnets 16, 19, 23. Selection from preface to Book II of The Reason of Church Government.

Monday, October 10: Areopagitica
Wednesday, October 12: Paradise Lost, Book I. Read Genesis, chapters 1 to 3, in Bible.

Monday, October 17: PL Book II.
Wednesday, October 19: PL Book, III.

Monday, October 24: PL, Books IV to V, l. 560
Wednesday, October 26: PL, Book V, l. 561 to end, Book VI.

Monday, October 31: PL, Books VII and VIII
Wednesday, November 2: PL, Book IX

Monday, November 7: PL, Book IX (continued)
Wednesday, November 9:.PL, Book X

Monday, November 14: PL, Books XI and XII
Wednesday, November 16: Rereading of Paradise Lost and discussion of style, structure, and ideas in poem..

Monday, November 21: Continued rereading.
Wednesday, November 23: Paradise Regain’d, Books I and II

Monday, November 28: PR, Books III and IV
Wednesday, November 30: final discussion.

Possible final exam: December 7, 8 a.m. to 11.