Ye Old Almanac

Non-concentrators who wanted a background in English literature once took English 1. They don't any more. English 1 attempts to cover almost every English author from Beowulf to Beerbohm; it plummets through a thousand-year time span at a pace which leaves Shakespeare and Milton two lectures apiece. Examinations stress spot passages and details about the authors. When a man is through with English 1, he knows that "Proud-pied April dressed in all his trim" is from Sonnet XCVIII, and two semesters' worth of similar facts. This mass of detail may be an essential basis for English concentrators who are required to take the course. But it does not help non-concentrators who are looking for a background in English literature, for a course which does not exist.

Since English 1 acquired its reputation as a back-breaker, some non-concentrators have drifted into the basic Humanities courses. Others have tried the modern novel and contemporary drama, swelling enrollments in those courses to record size. Humanities, however, more often studies comparative culture than literature. The modern novel and drama are fairly specialized. And the specialized courses of the English Dept. leave a gap for the non-concentrator.

The English Department can fill this gap by giving a survey of English Literature for non-concentrators. Since the course would not be a basis for specialization, it could combine the detail of English 1 with an emphasis on ideas and trends.

Perhaps an even better alternative would be a General Education course in Great English Authors. GE likes to cross departmental lines, and it likes to get something it calls Scope into its courses. A course in English authors is a setup for GE; it could be presented in the same way that GE has successfully presented the epic and novel. Such a course would satisfy the demands of non-concentrators for a basic English course, and it would give them a better background than the literary almanac which is English 1.