Not to quibble--nakedness is an excellent topic linking Marlowe and
Milton--but don't Nicholas and Alisoun appear naked (more or less) in
The Miller's Tale? Or aren't they naked enough? There's also Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight, where Bertilak's wife slips naked into bed
with Gawain.
Best,
Raphael
Raphael Falco
Professor of English
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
1000 Hilltop Circle
Baltimore, MD 21250
Tel: 410-455-2919
Fax: 410-455-1030
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John Leonard wrote:
> i have just returned from Venice to find this super question in my
> mailbox. A topic that I find very useful (especially for a question
> linking Marlowe and MIlton) is nakedness. H &L is perhaps the first
> poem in English in which the two main characters appear naked (albeit
> not at the same time) and this makes for lively comparison with
> Milton's Adam and Eve (Milton's lament "O how unlike to that first
> naked glory" is a direct echo of Marlowe, and the Marlovian phrase to
> which he alludes--"where Venus in her naked glory strove / To
> please"--also influences another of Milton's memorable descriptions of
> nakedness:
>
> the fairest goddess feigned
> Of three that in Mount Ida naked strove
>
> Marlovian nakedness can also be related to questions about shame,
> modesty, embarrassment, pride etc. etc. Students love to write on
> this topic and their essays are actually fun to read.
>
> Best,
>
> John Leonard
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* william oram <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> *To:* [log in to unmask]
> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> *Sent:* Wednesday, April 07, 2010 2:13 PM
> *Subject:* Paper topics on Hero and Leander
>
> Does anyone have any interesting paper topics on Hero and Leander?
> I'm out of inspiration. Bill Oram
>
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