Survey of English Literature I Course by Catherine Carsley on Free Audio Download

This course taught by Catherine Carsley zeroes in on the early origins and development of English writing, stretching back to 650 BCE and ending at around 1800. As Carsley explains, within that time period, English itself evolved from something modern English-speaking readers would barely understand to a versatile language that dominates much of the modern world. Where did it begin? Most scholars point to Beowulf, and we see in that early poem the roots of much of what would come later, including themes of heroism, a humorous bawdiness and an elegiac, or mournful underpinning. In addition to tracing literary history, this course will also touch on the historical developments in England that led to the work and formed the content on many levels.