ENL 3334 - Spring 2026 - Cowan

This course will survey various works of William Shakespeare, including plays and films. We will analyze the philosophical, political, and aesthetic aspects of these works, asking how Shakespeare utilized literary devices, and try to understand why certain writers and critics have revered Shakespeare for so many centuries. Assigned works include: The Tempest, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, King Lear, Hamlet, Othello, Titus Andronicus.

In terms of historical methodology, we would also like to ask particular questions: How do social contexts shape literary products? These questions will require us to consider issues of intertextuality, influence, national and world literatures, hegemony, and historiography. What is literary criticism? How do we determine literary merit? Why do people see Shakespeare as great?