Dr. Beechy's work is focused on the literature and culture of early medieval Britain. She is a specialist in poetic form and genre, and has turned recently to the poetics of manuscript compilation, as well. Her latest book, _Flesh of the Word: Materiality, Aesthetics, and the Incarnation in Early Medieval Britain_, treats the relationship between form and theology in the period, uncovering a local and certainly unorthodox piety, according to which the Incarnate Word could manifest in the present world: in language, in objects, and in sensory experiences of various kinds.
keywords
medieval poetry and poetics, poetics, linguistic theory, semiotics, Old English language and literature, Middle English language and literature, aesthetics, linguistic approaches to literature, manuscript studies, paleography, digital manuscript studies
ENGL 2017 - World Literature
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2023
Songs. Epics. Autobiographies. Novels. Tales. Plays. Films. These genres appear across cultures, languages, and historical periods. This course focuses on how genres work in a variety of cultures and time periods, reading work written in English and in translation. Students will gain a deep understanding of the possibilities of that genre as well as an introduction to the way that literature travels between cultures. Topics and focus will vary by instructor.
ENGL 2102 - Literary Analysis
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018 / Summer 2019
Students will build skills in careful, detailed reading and critical writing. Focusing on poetry, prose, and plays, the course cultivates an understanding of literary forms and genres and introduces techniques and vocabulary essential for the study of literature.
ENGL 2503 - Medieval and Renaissance
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2022
Surveys groundbreaking literature from the medieval period to the late seventeenth century. Topics of discussion may include gender and embodiment, technologies of communication and discovery, and premodern notions of race or cultural identity. Students will be encouraged to read aloud, explore unfamiliar literary forms, and share their ideas and questions.
ENGL 4003 - Old English 1: Introduction to Old English
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018 / Fall 2019 / Fall 2020 / Fall 2021 / Spring 2023 / Fall 2023
Introduces students to Old English, the ancient ancestor of Modern English (as Latin is the ancestor of Spanish and Italian, distinct from both). Course will focus on reading knowledge through grammar study and translation, and to a lesser extent on pronunciation. Provides basic parsing and translation skills and an introduction to the history, culture, and literature of early medieval Britain. Provides an introduction to grammar and to the history of the English language. Same as ENGL 5003.
ENGL 4013 - Old English 2: Intermediate Old English
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2019 / Spring 2021
Continues to develop skills in Old English reading and translation. Focuses on shorter canonical texts in verse and prose. Students will produce idiomatic translations for every class, write a midterm exam based on those translations, and write either a final exam or a final paper. Students will also memorize and present a short section of verse in the original language. Graduate students will read and present on secondary scholarship and produce original research. Same as ENGL 5013.
ENGL 4023 - Intermediate Old English II: Beowulf
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2020
Continues to develop students' proficiency in Old English through the translation and literary study of the heroic poem _Beowulf_. Students will produce idiomatic translations for every class, write a midterm exam based on those translations, and write either a final exam or a final paper. Students will also memorize and present a short section of the poem. Graduate students will read and present on secondary scholarship and produce original research. Previously offered as a special topics course.
ENGL 4830 - Honors Thesis
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2019
Students accepted to English Departmental Honors are enrolled in this course.
ENGL 5003 - Old English 1: Introduction to Old English
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2019 / Fall 2020 / Fall 2021 / Spring 2023 / Fall 2023
Introduces students to Old English, the ancient ancestor of Modern English (as Latin is the ancestor of Spanish and Italian, distinct from both). Course will focus on reading knowledge through grammar study and translation, and to a lesser extent on pronunciation. Provides basic parsing and translation skills and an introduction to the history, culture, and literature of early medieval Britain. Provides an introduction to grammar and to the history of the English language. Same as ENGL 4003.
ENGL 5013 - Old English 2: Intermediate Old English
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2019 / Spring 2021
Continues to develop skills in Old English reading and translation. Focuses on shorter canonical texts in verse and prose. Students will produce idiomatic translations for every class, write a midterm exam based on those translations, and write either a final exam or a final paper. Students will also memorize and present a short section of verse in the original language. Graduate students will read and present on secondary scholarship and produce original research. Same as ENGL 4013.
ENGL 5023 - Intermediate Old English II: Beowulf
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2020
Continues to develop students' proficiency in Old English through the translation and literary study of the heroic poem _Beowulf_. Students will produce idiomatic translations for every class, write a midterm exam based on those translations, and write either a final exam or a final paper. Students will also memorize and present a short section of the poem. Graduate students will read and present on secondary scholarship and produce original research. Previously offered as a special topics course.
ENGL 5029 - British Literature and Culture Before 1800
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2019
Introduces graduate level study of medieval and early modern writing through the long eighteenth century. Emphasizes a wide range of genres, forms, historical background, and secondary criticism. Cultivates research skills necessary for advanced graduate study. Topics will vary. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours.
ENGL 7489 - Advanced Special Topics
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2021 / Spring 2022
Studies special topics in theory, culture, and literature of any period. Topics will vary. May be repeated up to 9 total credit hours.
