This unit is part of a chronological survey of the English literary tradition beginning with Chaucer and concluding with the eighteenth century. It includes the periods of Renaissance and Restoration. The unit introduces the students to some of the recognised masters of the language and to the predominant tendencies of various literary periods. The course deepens the students’ understanding of genre, style and content to which they were introduced in EN503 Literature and Worldview. The unit introduces notions such as literary influence (including the Bible and ancient Greek and Roman sources) and the relation of the individual to the literary tradition. Topics: + The medieval romance tradition + Shakespeare as dramatist and lyricist + The metaphysical poets in the Christian tradition + 18th Century periodicals and public culture