AJ14006 British Literature 1770-1830: Romantics

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2009
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
Timetable of Seminar Groups
AJ14006/A: Thu 10:00–11:35 G32, M. Kaylor
AJ14006/B: Thu 16:40–18:15 G32, M. Kaylor
Prerequisites (in Czech)
AJ09999 Qualifying Examination && 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 10 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"; Essay due. 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"; Week 13: Introduction to Joseph Mallord William Turner.
Literature
  • Priestman, Martin. Romantic Atheism. Cambridge University Press, 2004
  • Jackson, J. R., ed. Samuel Taylor Coleridge: The Critical Heritage. Routledge, 2002
  • Bentley, G. E., ed. William Blake: The Critical Heritage. Routledge, 1975
  • Klancher, Jon. A Concise Companion to the Romantic Age. Blackwell, 2009
  • Woof, Robert. William Wordsworth: The Critical Heritage. Routlege, 2001
  • Jackson, Noel. Science and Sensation in Romantic Poetry. Cambridge University Press, 2008
  • Schor, Esther, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Mary Shelley. Cambridge University Press, 2003
  • The Norton Anthology of English Literature, 6th edn., vol. 2. Norton, 1993
  • Matthews, G. M., ed. John Keats: The Critical Heritage. Routledge, 2000
  • Franklin, Caroline. Byron. Routledge, 2007
Teaching methods
One 2 hour seminar per week, plus individual tutorials prior to the end of course assessment.
Assessment methods
To augment and deepen our discussion of the English Romantics, students will be expected to write an essay (1,000 words, typed, double-spaced). It should have a well-crafted thesis, should be scholarly in tone, and should endeavor to support all claims textually through the materials listed below. There will be a 1-hour final exam. Final grades will be divided in the following proportions: 30% for attendance and class participation; 30% for the essay; 40% for the 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 2011, Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2014, Autumn 2015, Autumn 2016, Autumn 2017, Autumn 2018, Autumn 2019, Autumn 2020.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2009, recent)
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