AJ14006 British Literature 1770-1830: Romantics

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2015
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s) (plus 2 credits for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
doc. Michael Matthew Kaylor, PhD. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Supplier department: Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable of Seminar Groups
AJ14006/A: Wed 10:50–12:25 B2.34, M. Kaylor
AJ14006/B: Wed 9:10–10:45 B2.34, M. Kaylor
Prerequisites (in Czech)
( AJ09999 Qualifying Examination || AJ01002 Practical English II ) && AJ04003 Intro. to Literary Studies II
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 50 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/50, only registered: 0/50, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/50
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 7 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
This course will engage and provide a comprehensive overview of the texts and contexts of the English Romantics, namely Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, De Quincey, Scott, Byron, the Shelleys, Keats, and Turner. Special attention will be paid to how various literary and visual forms are employed for biographical, political, social, cultural, and religious ends. This period is unique for its aspirations as much as its accomplishments, for its conception of the writer as a strikingly prophetic and monumental figure — as Shelley will claim in the last statement of his Defence of Poetry, "Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the World."
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to discuss the writing of others with sensitivity and appreciation; have an understanding of the contexts of English Romanticism; and be familiar with the key writers and their texts.
Syllabus
  • Week 1: Introduction to Romanticism (Norton, vol. 2, p.1). Week 2: Introduction to William Blake (p.18); William Blake, "The Book of Thel"; William Blake, "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell". Weeks 3-4: Introduction to William Wordsworth (p.126); William Wordsworth, Preface to "Lyrical Ballads"; William Wordsworth, "The Ruined Cottage"; William Wordsworth, "Michael". Week 5: Introduction to Samuel Taylor Coleridge (p.323); Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"; Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "Biographia Literaria", chapter 17. Week 6: Introduction to Thomas De Quincey (p.444); Thomas De Quincey, "On the Knocking at the Gate in Macbeth"; Thomas De Quincey, "Murder, Considered as One of the Fine Arts"; Week 7: Introduction to Sir Walter Scott (p.299); Sir Walter Scott, "Ivanhoe". Week 8: Introduction to George Gordon, Lord Byron (p.479); George Gordon, Lord Byron, "Prisoner of Chillon"; George Gordon, Lord Byron, "Don Juan" (several cantos). Week 9: Introduction to Percy Bysshe Shelley (p.643); Percy Bysshe Shelley, "Alastor; or, The Spirit of Solitude"; Percy Bysshe Shelley, "The Cloud". Week 10: Introduction to Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (p.844); Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, "The Last Man". Weeks 11-12: Introduction to John Keats (p.766); John Keats, "Ode to a Nightingale"; John Keats, "Ode on a Grecian Urn"; John Keats, "To Autumn"; John Keats, "The Eve of St. Agnes." Week 13: Introduction to Joseph Mallord William Turner.
Literature
    recommended literature
  • Jackson, J. R., ed. Samuel Taylor Coleridge: The Critical Heritage. Routledge, 2002
  • Jackson, Noel. Science and Sensation in Romantic Poetry. Cambridge University Press, 2008
  • Woof, Robert. William Wordsworth: The Critical Heritage. Routlege, 2001
  • Klancher, Jon. A Concise Companion to the Romantic Age. Blackwell, 2009
  • Priestman, Martin. Romantic Atheism. Cambridge University Press, 2004
  • The Norton Anthology of English Literature, 6th edn., vol. 2. Norton, 1993
  • Franklin, Caroline. Byron. Routledge, 2007
  • Bentley, G. E., ed. William Blake: The Critical Heritage. Routledge, 1975
  • Matthews, G. M., ed. John Keats: The Critical Heritage. Routledge, 2000
  • Schor, Esther, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Mary Shelley. Cambridge University Press, 2003
Teaching methods
One 2 hour seminar per week.
Assessment methods
Students will be expected to write an essay (1,000 words, typed, double-spaced) or to take a comprehensive exam (8 short-essay questions). If the paper is chosen, it should have a well-crafted thesis, should be scholarly in tone, and should endeavor to support all claims through close reading. Final grades will be divided in the following proportions: 30% for attendance and class participation; 70% for the essay or exam.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Teacher's information
http://elf.phil.muni.cz/elf/course/view.php?id=752
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2001, Autumn 2002, Autumn 2003, Autumn 2004, Spring 2005, Autumn 2005, Spring 2006, Autumn 2006, Autumn 2007, Autumn 2009, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2014, Autumn 2016, Autumn 2017, Autumn 2018, Autumn 2019, Autumn 2020.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2015, recent)
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