Ay me! for aught that I could ever read,
Could ever hear by tale or history,
The course of true love never did run smooth.
-William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's dream
Essential Questions
1. What about love and relationships has captured the imaginations of poets and writers throughout the ages?
2. Why are readers drawn to love stories, even when they so often end in tears?
3. How have the changing roles of men and women in society affected views on romantic love and relationships?
4. How do authors use the emotions of love and hate as themes in literature?
5. How do these emotions influence characters in literature?
6. What are the consequences each character faces as a result of acting on these emotions?
7. How do the literary works covered in class relate to our lives?
8. What lessons about expressing emotions such as love and hate are offered in the literary works covered in this course?
9. How do authors use literature as social commentary?
10. Does love require sacrifice?
11. What is the relationship between love and trust or between love and loyalty?
12. What are the boundaries of love and sacrifice, and where does one draw the line between them?
Unit Reading ListCLASSIC TEXTS
Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre MODERN TEXT Sandra Cisneros, Woman Hollering Creek SHORT FICTION Anton Chekhov, The Lady with the Little Dog Katherine Mansfield, Bliss William Faulkner, A Rose for Emily Dagoberto Gilb, Love in L.A. POETRY Sir Thomas Wyatt, They flee from me Sir Philip Sidney, Leave me, O Love, which reachest but to dust John Donne, The Flea Robert Herrick, To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time Lord Byron, She walks in Beauty Edna St. Vincent Millay, Love is not all Margaret Atwood, Siren Song Elizabeth Bishop, One Art Robert Penn Warren, True Love Billy Collins, Weighing the Dog Jane Hirshfield, This was once a love poem PAIRED POEMS William Shakespeare, My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun Pablo Neruda, Mi fea, Soneta XX Pablo Neruda, My ugly love, Sonnet XX VISUAL TEXT Gustav Klimt, The Kiss Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Short Story on a Painting of Gustav Klimt CONVERSATION Courtship—The Rules of Engagement Annie Finch on Writing 
Gustav Klimt, The Kiss
(c. 1907-1908, oil and gold leaf on canvas, 180 x 180 cm) Reading Schedule (Subject to Change)
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Multi-Media ResourcesJane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Click on the photo to the left to go to the site for the Brontë Parsonage Museum and the Brontë Society and contains some useful information.
Godey's Lady's Book
Click on the print to the left to go to a collection of materials. sample, and issues of Godey's Lady's Book. As you browse through the illustrations, ponder the societal rules that governed women's thoughts, actions, and needs. Be prepared to connect these to Jane Eyre and "The Importance of Being Earnest."
Jane Eyre and the Victorian Age
Click on the logo to the left to go to a good general site for Victorian literature, with specialised information on a variety of contextual topics as well as individual authors.
The Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Click on the image to the left to go to the Book Drum (illustrated annotation) link of Jean Rhys’s vivid prequel to Charlotte Brontë’s classic which chart the descent of the spirited young Creole heiress Antoinette Cosway, first wife of Edward Rochester, to the despairing and deranged Bertha Mason, Jane Eyre’s madwoman in the attic. -Book Drum.com
The Eyre Affair by Jasper FForde
Click on the image to the left to go to the Book Drum (illustrated annotation) link of this Jane Eyre retelling. The Eyre Affair combines fantasy, adventure, satire and suspense, throws reality out the window, and stretches the imagination in every conceivable direction. If you’ve ever chuckled over Terry’s Pratchett’s Discworld novels, or wished that Douglas Adams had written more Dirk Gently books, you’re going to be thrilled to meet Thursday Next. This leather-jacketed, rule-bending heroine will make you see the literary classics in a whole new light, introduce you to the people behind the star-studded character lists, and have you biting your nails as she fights for all that’s good and familiar against monstrous bad-guys (one corporate, one supernatural, both very nasty indeed).- Book Drum.com
"The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde
Click the photo to the left to hear an assorted cast read The Importance of Being Earnest on Librivox
Criminal Indecency: the court transcripts
Click the photo at the left to go to a website that has a the court proceedings for Oscar Wilde's trial for criminal indecency
Sandra Cisneros on Writing
Click the photos to the left and below to hear Sandra Cisneros read from her story “Eleven” and discuss her background and writing with the Lannan Foundation.
Sandra Cisneros on the Influence of Language on Writing
Click on the photo to the left to hear “Intersections, When Languages Collide,” on NPR: Sandra Cisneros discusses the influence of the Spanish language on her writing.
"The Lady with the Little Dog" by Anton Chekhov
Click the photo to the left to hear Jean Sherrard read “The Lady with the Little Dog” for the NPR Playhouse.
"A Rose for Emily" by Williams Faulkner
Click the print to the left to hear Miette’s Bedtime Story Podcast present an audiobook version of William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily.”
"They Flee from Me" by Thomas Wyatt
Click the image to the left to hear Eric Portman read Thomas Wyatt’s poem “They Flee from Me” for poetictouchannel.
"The Flea" by John Donne
Click the image to the left to hear Richard Burton read John Donne’s “The Flea” for poetictouch
"To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" by Robert Herrick
Click the image to the left to hear Argos MacCallum read Robert Herrick’s poem, “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” for LoudLit.org.
A Portrait of Lord Byron
Click the image to the left to hear “Letters Offer an Intimate Portrait of Poet Lord Byron” on NPR: Dr. Gabriel Heaton of Sotheby's discusses the letters between Lord Byron and a clergyman named Francis Hodgson.
"Love Is Not All" by Edna St. Vincent Millay
Click the photo to the left to see a reading of “Love Is Not All” by Edna St. Vincent Millay by Tyn Daly.
"Siren Song" by Margaret Atwood
Click the photo to the left to hear "Siren Song" on PublicRadio's Writer's Almanac.
"One Art" by Elizabeth Bishop
Click on the photo to the left to hear Zachariah Wells read “One Art” on Community Audio.
Elizabeth Bishop Yale University Lecture
Click on the logo to the left to watch Professor Langdon Hammer lecture on Elizabeth Bishop for Yale’s Modern Poetry Open Course (lecture #1)
Elizabeth Bishop Yale University Lecture
Click on the logo to the left to watch Professor Langdon Hammer lecture on Elizabeth Bishop for Yale’s Modern Poetry Open Course (lecture #2)
"Weighing the Dog" by Billy Collins
Click on the photo to the left to hear Billy Collins discuss the importance and relevance of poetry.
"This was once a love poem" by Jane Hirshfield
Click on the photo to the left to see Jane Hirshfield discuss poetry’s role, her first encounters with writing, and her work with PlumTV.
Paired Poems"My Mistress' Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun" by William Shakespeare
Click on the photo at left to hear Alan Rickman read "My Mistress' Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun."
"My Mistress' Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun" by William Shakespeare
Click on the photo to the left to see Allison Strong read "My Mistress' Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun" as one of the Best Practices of Poetry Out Loud. Hers is the fourth video down on the page.
"My Ugly Love"/"Mi fea" sonnet XX by Pablo Neruda
Click on the photo to the left to hear NPR present several readings of Neruda’s poem and a glimpse at his life and legacy.
Visual TextGustav Klimt, The Kiss
Click on the image to the left to see a Vienna tourism ad make use of Klimt’s painting.
Gustav Klimt, The Kiss
Click on the image to the left to see Lawrence Ferlinghetti read several of his poems for UC Berkeley’s Lunch Poems Series.
Conversations“To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell
Click on the print to the left to see Damien Lewis perform Andrew Marvell’s poem “To His Coy Mistress” in a modern interpretation, for a Valentine’s Day poetry special on BBC 2.
"To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell
Click on the image to the left o go to Virtualit-Poetry to explore "To His Coy Mistress" by ANdrew Marvell
“Coy Mistress” by Annie Finch
Click on the photo to the left to hear Michael Maglaras read five of Annie Finch’s poems after meeting the poet.
“Coy Mistress” by Annie Finch
Click on the photo to the left to visit a list of links to interviews and other media on Annie Finch’s website.
Charles Dickens, from Our Mutual Friend
Click on the image to the left to hear a reading of Our Mutual Friend on Librivox.
"Is Arranged Marriage Really Any Worse Than Craigslist?" by Anita Jain
Click on the photo to the left to see Anita Jain discuss her memoir on looking for a husband by more traditional means on MSNBC.
Downloadable Material
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