Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

A survey of the literature of the period from 1660 to 1800. May include writing from North America. Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

In the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, the “who,” “what,” “where,” and “to whom” of writing changed.  Like authors at the beginning of the twenty-first century, English writers around the year 1700 found themselves dealing with a new dominant medium (print rather than manuscript letter or theatrical performance), a brave new world (of science, of empire, and of consumer goods from around the globe) and a new audience (a broad public rather than a prince or an intimate friend).  In fact, the writer himself had changed—“he” was more likely than ever before to be a “she,” or a member of the labouring classes, or an African slave. From Aphra Behn and Alexander Pope to Thomas Gray and Frances Burney, writers had to adjust to these new conditions of writing, while addressing a nation which had just been torn apart by civil war and which continued to experience profound political, intellectual, economic, and social shifts.  This survey will focus on the rich and energetic work produced in a wide range of genres and forms by these writers.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Through this course, students will gain an understanding of literary history, and of how imaginative writing engages and tries to shape a changing world. We will be reading several plays and works of fiction. However, much of the course material will consist of poetry – students will be assisted with learning to read, enjoy, and even write (!) the poetic forms of the period. Through reading, classroom participation, and writing, students will develop skills in the critical analysis of literature.

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING: