This semester, charge into a dragon’s den, travel to Hell and back, and get stranded on a desert island. In this course, we will read a selection of the foundational texts of English language literature—texts that not only shaped their own cultures but that are still very much alive today in modern interpretations, allusions, and adaptations. The texts we’ll be reading grapple with abiding questions about love, faith, and identity, but they are also liberally sprinkled with epic battles, sex scenes, and fart jokes. In order to get a deeper sense of the sweep of early English literary history, this course follows a somewhat creative structure: we’ll be covering the entire chronological span (from roughly 800-1800) not once but twice over the course of the semester, with a leap back in time halfway through. Our emphasis throughout will be on developing close, analytical reading skills that will enable us to understand and describe the complex language of these often strange poems, plays, and novels. Texts will include Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales, Twelfth Night, Paradise Lost, and Robinson Crusoe, along with several less likely suspects. Assignments will focus on frequent short response papers, a midterm, and a final exam.