Texts

Required:

1. R.G. Moyles, The Text of Paradise Lost: A Study in Editorial Procedure. University of Toronto Press, 1985. ISBN: 0802056342
2. James L. Harner, Literary Research Guide: An Annotated Listing of Reference Sources in English Literary Studies. Modern Language Association of America; 4th edition, 2002. ISBN: 0873529839
3. William Proctor Williams, An Introduction to Bibliographical and Textual Studies. Modern Language Association of America; 3rd edition (September, 1999). ISBN: 0873522680

Recommended:

1. Gregory M. Colon Semenza, Graduate Study for the Twenty-First Century : How to Build an Academic Career in the Humanities. Palgrave Macmillan (2005). ISBN: 1403969361
2. John Milton, The Major Works. Oxford University Press; New Ed edition (February, 2003). ISBN: 019280409X

Assignments
One group presentation (with written description of process, copied for each member of the class), one simple text location assignment; three individual presentations (with written description of process, copied for each member of the class), working bibliography and research plan/question in area of interest.

Weekly Preview

Week 1 (1/24)—Introductions, purposes of the course.
Week 2 (1/31)—Bibliographical and Textual Studies, types and importance. Williams, Chaps. 1-5. Formation of research groups. Before class next week, find the issue of PMLA (Publications of the Modern Language Association of America) that contains the essay "Breaking the Book Known as Q." Once located, photocopy and read the essay. That will form part of our discussion for next week.
Week 3 (2/7)—Discussion of "Breaking the Book Known as Q."
Week 4 (2/14)—Assignment (group 1): find a copy of the 1667 Paradise Lost (print and online), as well as a copy of the 1674 edition (not a modern edition based thereon, but an actual copy of the 1674). Bring in a copies of the title pages and the first page or two of Book 1 for each as part of a presentation on the differences between 1667 and 1674 editions. Describe your process for locating this material. Assignment (group 2): find copies of as many modern (post-1900) editions of Paradise Lost and/or Milton as you can, preparing a presentation on the textual apparatus each edition provides as well as comparisons between the respective editions' approaches to footnotes/endnotes (glosses to obscure allusions, interpretive/editorial notes, etc.), and such issues as spelling (modernization?) and punctuation.
Week 5 (2/21)—Presentation on Paradise Lost, 1667 vs. 1674, presentation on differences between modern editions. Moyles, Chaps. 1-6. Discussion of the role(s) of an editor (Bentley, Hughes, Shawcross, Orgel, Flannagan, Teskey, Leonard, etc.).
Week 6 (2/28)—Scholarly resources in 17th-century English literature (EEBO vs. STC and microfilm, etc.), discussion of differences between scholarship and criticism (plus a discussion of their mutual dependence).
Week 7 (3/6)—Assignment (individual): Find, read, and prepare a summary of a document from the 17th century relating to an issue found in Paradise Lost. Describe your process for locating this material. Give presentations of 17th century documents.
Week 8 (3/13)—Assignment (groups 3, 4, and 5): Research the textual/editorial history of one of the following works: Hamlet, Doctor Faustus, King Lear. Give presentations on textual histories/issues of  Hamlet, Doctor Faustus, King Lear.

Spring Break (3/21)

Week 9 (3/27)—Journal articles. Sample articles on Milton from Milton Quarterly, Milton Studies, PMLA, ELH, SEL, etc. Assignment (individual): find, read, and prepare a summary and critique of an article—questions to include: what is the argument/position, what is the main body of evidence offered (historical analysis, lit theory of some kind, etc.), and what is the relation of this work to its larger field (who does it cite, and with whom is it agreeing/disagreeing)?
Week 10 (4/3)—Articles, continued. Reading—sample book reviews for discussion next week (to be distributed in class).
Week 11 (4/10)—Book reviews. What makes a good or bad review (good or bad, useful or useless in itself, not in terms of its opinion of the work being reviewed). Assignment (individual): Find at least three reviews of the same book on Milton (chosen from among those published since 1996) in a scholarly journal. Prepare a presentation that compares the reviews in terms of length, tone, evidence of engagement with/critique of the books argument). Describe your process for locating the review material.
Week 12 (4/17)—Presentations on book reviews. Books: A sampling of books in the field—old and new (Saurat, Lewis, Waldock. Empson, Fish, Danielson, Lieb, Wittreich, Schwartz, Loewenstein, Rumrich, Herman, etc.). Assignment (individual): find, read, and prepare a summary and critique of a book (essentially, your own book review)—questions to include: what is the argument/position, what is the main body of evidence offered (historical analysis, lit theory of some kind, etc.), and what is the relation of this work to its larger field (whose work does it cite, with whom is it agreeing/disagreeing, and what is the place of this work in the larger conversations/arguments about the author/work/field/period)?
Week 13 (4/24)—Books, continued.
Weeks 14 (5/1), and 15 (5/8)—Research in Area of Interest (individual sessions). Before meeting with me:

1. Do some research on CSUN/UCLA/USC profs in your area of interest, at least one from each institution—identify their specialties, publications, etc. When you find publications, try to locate copies and look at the bibliographies and indexes. Who are these authors citing? Whose work are they reading? You can learn much by tracing the paths of previous researchers/writers. Now, branch out beyond the local—look for scholars in your area of interest at universities around the country (some of the usual suspects might include Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, U. Chicago, Northwestern, UC Berkeley, etc.). After the US comes the world: what are UK scholars in your area of interest publishing? If you speak/read another European language (or a non-European language), check publications in those languages as well...
2. This should lead to the formation of a working bibliography for your area of interest. Questions to ask along the way include: who are the major academic authors in this field, what are the dominant theoretical positions/arguments, what are the major questions being asked in recent work about significant authors/works in the period, what are the major journals that focus on (or at least provide occasional-to-significant coverage of) the period/field, what are the best research tools/sources for contemporary/historical material.
3. The goal is the formation of a research question within your area of interest. The question and working bibliography are due by the end of finals week.

In conversation with me, we will also cover writing for publication, journal targeting, cover letters, abstracts, peer review, plus book proposals (thesis/dissertation proposals).