FSEM 161   British Literary Traditions

Faculty Profile for Professor Clayton

A study of the writers who have made and remade British literature, from medieval origins to the present moment. Including works by major authors like Geoffrey Chaucer, William Blake, and Virginia Woolf, coursework aims to give students wide experience of the resources and traditions of British literature. Students learn to read across the linguistic and cultural diversity of the British Isles, which include Scotland, Ireland, England, and Wales, and trace the evolution of the languages over time. Another objective of the course is to situate texts in history so that students can begin to appreciate how literary works respond to cultural and political events. We mostly read shorter works (lyric poetry, songs, essays), though longer ones (novels, epics) are also included wholly or in part. Assignments include exercises in imitation, experiments with reading and attention, essays in literary analysis, and hands-on encounters with rare books and manuscripts in Colgate’s Special Collections and University Archives. Those who complete the course are prepared to take other courses in English and also to participate in any conversation concerning the humanities, whether at Colgate or in the culture at large. Students who successfully complete this seminar earn credit for ENGL 200 and satisfy the human thought and expression areas of inquiry requirement.

Tom Clayton is an assistant professor in the Department of English. His research and teaching focus on the poetry and politics of the past (especially on John Milton, revolutionary England's epic poet), but he is just as often daydreaming about rhythm, rhyme, and melody in contemporary lyricists like Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Taylor Swift.