Online Texts

Listed below are some links to online versions and documents of some of the texts that we will be using in the English IV class. Some others listed below may be referenced in class as well. Feel free to peruse them at your leisure, and, when assigned to complete them for reading in class, make sure to read them seriously and faithfully. 

Remember, the smaller works of literature used in the English IV class (poems, articles, essays, etc.) will be placed in the specific tab of that genre or literary period (locate the materials using the Navigation tab). 

Use your deductive and inductive reasoning skills, along with your explication skills, to focus on the most important elements of each reading selection, and how you can use them in your analyses in class. For certain texts, use the Reading Element Notes or Lecture Notes that accompany that text to assist with your own analysis and comprehension.

Make sure to cite any references or quotations from any literary work that you use. Citations used in class should reflect MLA citation style.

The Epic of Beowulf by unknown author (c. 10th century)

http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/89/beowulf/ - This site is a translation of the epic from Francis Gummere, which, although slightly different from our class translations by Burton Raffel and Seamus Heaney, can still be read with ease. The site that is hosting the translation also offers an audio recording of the chapter, which is helpful in any regard. The Chapters are similarly numbered, except towards the end of the epic, from Chapter 31 to the final chapter.

http://www.mit.edu/~jrising/webres/beowulf.pdf - This site also hosts a translation of the epic that is translated by Francis Gummere, but juxtaposes the modern English translation with the original Old English text. There are also some footnotes about the epic.

https://www.dvusd.org/cms/lib/AZ01901092/Centricity/Domain/2897/beowulf_heaney.pdf - This translation of the epic, from Irish poet Seamus Heaney, is one of the most read translations, and contains not only the original OE text, but is delivered in a fluid and descriptive mode, as only a poet can deliver. While some of the wording is different, the story still stands in its full, rich heroism and epic grandeur.

https://wikisummaries.org/beowulf/ - As part of studying the epic, you may need some assistance with summarizing each section, or chapter, of reading. This site offers chapter sections that follow the Francis Gummere translation chapters, which differ slightly from the Burton Raffel translation towards the end of the epic.

The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare (1622)

http://shakespeare.mit.edu/othello/ - This site is from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) library of Shakespeare's works (which they list in total for free). This is an excellent resource on the various acts and scenes of the play, and allows you to move through each section using their Table of Contents.

https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/othello/ - This site, from the Folger Shakespeare Library, also houses the entire written library of the Bard from Stratford-upon-Avon, along with interesting articles and links for context. This introduction page for Othello includes links to each act and scene, as well as audio versions of certain scenes for assistance while reading.

The Tragedy of MacBeth by William Shakespeare (1623)

http://shakespeare.mit.edu/macbeth/ - This site is from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) library of Shakespeare's works (which they list in total for free). This is an excellent resource on the various acts and scenes of the play, and allows you to move through each section using their Table of Contents.

https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/macbeth/ - This site, from the Folger Shakespeare Library, also houses the entire written library of the Bard from Stratford-upon-Avon, along with interesting articles and links for context. This introduction page for MacBeth includes links to each act and scene, as well as audio versions of certain scenes for assistance while reading.

The Inferno by Dante Alighieri (1320)

http://www.fullbooks.com/Dante-s-Inferno.html - As the work was written by an Italian author in the 1300s, there are many different translations. This is my preferred translation to study, one by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This site divides things into Parts, which contain the original "cantos" or song-chapters of Alighieri's epic poem.

http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/997/pg997-images.html - The Project Gutenberg site lists the epic poem in its original Italian, which is filled with nuance and poetic ambiguity. The Inferno, along with the rest of Alighieri's Divine Comedy, remains one of the most studied and impactful works in European literature.

https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/dante/divine-comedy/ - This site, hosted by Columbia University, pairs each canto of the Divine Comedy with the original Italian, multiple scholarly translations, and the Commento Baroliniano (advanced criticism of each canto from Dante scholar Teodolinda Barolini).

Dante Alighieri's Inferno, trans. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, from https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1001/1001-h/1001-h.htm

Paradise Lost by John Milton (1667)

http://triggs.djvu.org/djvu-editions.com/MILTON/LOST/Download.pdf - This site provides a downloadable .pdf version of the epic poem, composed and written by Milton, which details the story prior to the Judeo-Christian Genesis account. Milton's work follows the angel Lucifer prior to his Fall, and leading up to his temptation of Adam and Eve. This work is responsible for much of the religious imagery that popular culture uses to define concepts like Heaven, Hell, angels, demons, and as well as giving an interesting look at the story behind the story of Man's loss of Paradise.

Sonnets by William Shakespeare (1609)

http://shakespeare.mit.edu/Poetry/sonnets.html - This is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology site on Shakespeare's 150+ love poems. His most famous short works, the Sonnets he composed defined love for a public in wording and diction that only Shakespeare can accomplish.

https://www.bl.uk/works/shakespeares-sonnets - This is the British Library's brief article on Shakespeare's sonnets, which lists some interesting information about the topics of each of his sonnets: some are to a "fair youth" and some are to a "dark lady," but all are about the multifaceted nature of the most complicated of all human emotions, love.

History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1136)

https://www.yorku.ca/inpar/geoffrey_thompson.pdf - This version is translated from the original Latin into a more modern prose by translators Aaron Thompson and J.A. Giles. The original work is one of the few histories of England, and begins the first interest of the public into the most famous myth system in English literature: the legend of King Arthur. Monmouth mixes historical record with good narrative twists to create the pseudo-accurate base for the original Welsh and Gaelic legends, later described in French romances, German and Italian poems, and even English prose, in Sir Thomas Malory's novel Le Morte d'Arthur (which is also linked above). Some excerpts from this work will be used in conjunction with Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur in class.

The Epic of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, by Anonymous / The Pearl Poet (c. 1400)

https://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/English/GawainAndTheGreenKnight.php - This page from Poetry in Translation offers an excellent translation of the epic by A.S. Kline, along with images that coincide with the events of the text. The patterning of the translation is similar to the original poetic stanzas of the alliterative style of the 14th century epic.

http://www.yorku.ca/inpar/sggk_replica.pdf - This .pdf of the epic is edited by Ross Arthur, and illustrates the actual Middle English dialect of the original text. Note that there is a slight difference between this Middle English dialect and the more popular dialect that was used by Geoffrey Chaucer in his Canterbury Tales.

The translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Jessie Weston (1898), from https://d.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/text/weston-sir-gawain-and-the-green-knight

The Mabinogion, by unknown author, edited by Lady Charlotte Guest (c. 11th and 12th centuries)

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/5160/5160-h/5160-h.htm - This work is the primary work detailing mythology and legend in the Welsh, or Cymric, tradition. This is the Project Gutenberg posting of the literary work, which details the ancient legends, myths, and family histories of some of the oldest inhabitants of Britain. Separate from Gaelic and British traditions, Welsh mythology is a detailed and fantastical realm of gods, kings, monsters, and magic unlike most people have ever seen.

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (1899)

https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/99/heart-of-darkness/  - This novel is one of the most succinct and difficult reads in all of English literature. Its shortness belies a dense and morally gray (i.e. difficult) subject and thematic approach. This site also allows for you to download the full text in various formats. 

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (1811)

https://www.janeausten.org/sense-and-sensibility/sense-and-sensibility-online.php - This site provides an excellent version of another of Austen's central novels, separated chapter-by-chapter. The Romantic elements of the novel are overshadowed by the various interpretations that stem from multiple readings of the book, ranging from morals and examples of conduct for young people, to statements about feminism, and about legal issues arising from the problems of society.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813)

https://www.janeausten.org/pride-and-prejudice/pride-and-prejudice-online.asp - This site provides an excellent version of one of Austen's more famous novels, separated chapter-by-chapter. Her novel remains an excellent example of the Romantic style of writing, as well as featuring a typical Byronic hero in the character of Mr. Darcy. 

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1342/old/pandp12p.pdf - This site hosts the Project Gutenberg file for the novel and not only provides the novel for you to read online, but also allows you to download the novel as a .pdf file.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (1847)

https://www.openrightslibrary.com/jane-eyre-ebook/  - This site provides an excellent edition of Bronte's most well-written novel, complete with a brilliant and emotional protagonist that stirs the emotions as well as defines the genre of the novel. Mr. Rochester, the love interest of the titular character Jane, is also an example of a Byronic character. The novel can be downloaded or read off the site. 

The Wasteland by T. S. Eliot (1922)

https://poets.org/poem/waste-land - One of the defining works of 20th century poetry, and one of the central works of the genre of Modernism, this site hosts a version of the most famous of Eliot's work, a lengthy epic incorporating elements of Dante's Inferno, Buddhism, Shakespeare, British contemporary culture, and Arthurian legend. The poem is broad in scope, and dissonant in message. 

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (1954)

https://mahoneyenglish.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/8/7/12871804/i-am-legend.pdf - The basis of several popular films and television series, Matheson's post-apocalyptic novella details the journey of a man alone in the world, surrounded by infected, mutated "vampires." Films inspired by this novel are The Last Man on Earth (1964)(this film is also available in the Online Films tab of this site), Omega Man (1971), and I Am Legend (2007), as well as Night of the Living Dead (1967). This different take on the vampire literary tradition of John Polidori and Bram Stoker also revolutionized the "zombie apocalypse" genre of fiction and film.

*Lecture Notes on the film version The Last Man on Earth (1964) available in the Film Theory and Genre tab, under IB Film Resources (SIB) - Film Theory and Philosophy.*

The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain (1957)

https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.463393/mode/2up - Potentially one of the greatest American authors to ever live, Samuel Clemens, or Mark Twain, enlivened the voice of the Victorian Age at the end of the 19th century: his writings included integral and essentially American figures, like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, and were even responsible for the term "Gilded Age." The impact of his writing is no more prevalent than in his short stories, all of which are available in the above-linked compendium, including classics like "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," "The Million Pound Bank Note," and "The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg."