FF:AJ14002 Eighteenth-Century British Lit - Course Information

AJ14002 Eighteenth-Century British Literature

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)

Bonita Rhoads (lecturer)

Guaranteed by

Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek

Timetable

Thu 14:10–15:45 G32

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 examines the eighteenth-century emergence of the novel as the dominant literary form in Britain. We will consider the novel’s unique ability to represent the changing social conditions and attitudes of the period, particularly in relation to class identity and gender roles. What were the new techniques of psychological realism associated with the novel? In what sense does the eighteenth-century novel—from Defoe’s genre-founding work, Robinson Crusoe—retell the same tale: that of the resourceful middle-class individualist faced with the challenges of surviving in a world of recognizably modern economic forces? Did the novel represent the increasing rationalism or the increasing sentimentality of the age? How can we account for the central role of women—as authors, readers and characters—in the genre’s development? Ian Watt’s classic study, The Rise of the Novel, will provide insight into the many epistemological and social crises of the era. Our novelists include Defoe, Swift, Richardson, Goldsmith, Godwin and Austen. At the end of the course the students should be able to understand the major developments of British literary history during the 18th century.

Syllabus

• 1 Introduction: The Novel’s Influences/Rival Traditions/The New Reading Public Love Letters Between a Nobleman and his Sister, Aphra Behn, 1683 Oroonoko, Aphra Behn, 1688 The Rape of the Lock, Alexander Pope, 1712 The Rise of Journalism: The Tatler (1709-11) and The Spectator (1711-12) 2 Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe, 1719 3 Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe, 1719 Gulliver’s Travels (selections), Jonathan Swift, 1726 Part I: A Voyage to Lilliput Part IV: A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms 4 Pamela, Samuel Richardson, 1740 5 Pamela, Samuel Richardson, 1740 Shamela (short selection), Henry Fielding, 1741 6 The Rise of Criticism: selected writings of Samuel Johnson 7 Vicar of Wakefield, Oliver Goldsmith, 1766 8 Vicar of Wakefield, Oliver Goldsmith, 1766 9 Caleb Williams, William Godwin, 1791 10 Caleb Williams, William Godwin, 1791 11 Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen, 1813 12 Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen, 1813

Literature

• WATT, Ian P. The rise of the novel : studies in Defoe, Richardson and Fielding. 1st American ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1957, 319 s. info

Teaching methods

Seminars

Assessment methods

Assessment: Attendance 5%, Class Participation in a Group Presentation 5%, Mid-Term Exam 20%, Final Exam 25% Short Final Essay 40%

Language of instruction

English

Further Comments

Study Materials
The course is taught annually.

• Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2011, recent)
  
• Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2011/AJ14002