British Literature I

A video to show you some of the resources you can use to research your travel project.

Each article provides standard top matter on an individual literary work, followed by entries discussing important real and imaginary places that figure into the work. Emphasis is not so much on the places themselves, but on how they are used as literary devices within the overall work. The titles covered in Cyclopedia of Literary Places are selected from the 1,805 titles in Masterplots that best lend themselves to discussion of place: virtually all the novels, most of the plays, and a selection of volumes of poetry.

Literary Traveler is dedicated to the exploration of the literary imagination. Read inspiring, informative articles about writers, creative artists, and the places that they lived and traveled.

Laurence Fishburne stars in this well-acted adaptation of the tragedy, set in 16th-century Venice. Irene Jacob, Kenneth Branagh.

Royal Shakespeare Co. production. Diana Rigg, David Warner, Judi Dench, Ian Richardson, Ian Holm, Helen Mirren. Peter Hall directed.

This beautifully dramatized version of the late-14th-century poem offers a bonanza to the English teacher: one of the best known of the Arthurian legends, a portrait of life in Arthurian days as the Pearl poet imagined it, a baker’s dozen of discussion topics about human virtue and human imperfectibility—and a fascinating plot involving a challenge by the Green Knight (green is of course the color of magic), who departs Arthur’s castle holding his own head, which Gawain has just lopped off; Gawain’s quest to keep his word and prove his worthiness while remaining alive; and the very moral surprise ending.

Cultivating an appreciation of the English classics requires studying the mother tongue as it was originally spoken. In this program, Dr. Joseph Gallagher brings language to life by reciting examples of Old, Middle, and Early Modern English in their original dialects. In addition, he discusses the evolution of English syntax and morphology. A dramatization of a portion of Beowulf is also included, along with visits to historic literary sites important to the study of English, such as the Sutton Hoo burial grounds, Canterbury, and the remains of the Globe Theatre. Includes subtitles in Modern English, where necessary.