ENGL 524

Spring 2026 Part of Term 1

Part of Term 1
Jan 20-May 6

Seminar in Early Modern Literature

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Credit: 4 hours.

Seminar dedicated to the study of texts, genres, themes, and/or theoretical issues from the non-Shakespearean literature of the early modern period (approximately 1500-1700).

May be repeated in separate terms to a maximum of 12 hours, if topics vary. Prerequisite: A college course devoted entirely to an aspect of Renaissance studies or consent of instructor.

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ENGL 524 class schedule data for spring 2026
	CRN	Type	Section	Time	Day	Location	Instructor	Section Details
	32264	Lecture-Discussion	R	2:00PM -4:30PM	R	307 English Building	Perry, C	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/20/26-05/06/26 Section Info: SP26 ENGL 524: Seminar in Early Modern Literature - Curtis Perry - Early Modern Revenge Tragedy - The popularity of Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy (ca. 1587)—which is arguably the first major blockbuster of the Elizabethan commercial theaters—made revenge tragedy into a recognizable and marketable theatrical sub-genre; subsequent plays (like Antonio’s Revenge, Hamlet, or The Revenger’s Tragedy) are often written as if in knowing dialogue with the evolving formal and thematic expectations associated with the genre. In this class we will examine revenge tragedies from the Elizabethan and early Stuart period and uncover the uses to which the form was was put. We will, therefore, be looking both at literary/theatrical history and also at the form’s handling of a range of cultural/political issues. The early modern Revenger typically seeks redress only after a whole battery of cultural orthodoxies has failed, and so revenge tragedy is often surprisingly interrogatory with regard to things like law, justice, evidence, class, gender identity, religious identity, family, empire, race, and political authority as such. This seminar-style class will start with some classical antecedents that were models for Kyd and others (Euripides, Seneca) and then focus on a series of self-aware early modern revenge tragedies by playwrights such as Kyd, Shakespeare, Marston, Chapman, Middleton, and Webster. Secondary readings will highlight critically sophisticated approaches to understanding the form and its cultural footprint. Restriction(s): Restricted to Graduate - Urbana-Champaign.