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)

Mgr. Dita Hochmanová, Ph.D. (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

Wed 17:30–19:05 K23

Prerequisites (in Czech)

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 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/25, only registered: 0/25, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/25

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 major eighteenth-century social and literary changes reflected in prose, drama and poetry. Mainly, 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? Ian Watt’s classic study, The Rise of the Novel, will provide insight into the many epistemological and social crises of the era. Our authors include Defoe, Swift, Gay, Pope, Richardson, Fielding, and Walpole. 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; Alexander Pope and the Scriblerus Club; Samuel Johnson and criticism; 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; 4 Beggars Opera 1728; 5 Pope – Essay on Man 1732-34 and Swift – Modest Proposal 1729; 6 Pamela, Samuel Richardson, 1740; 7 Pamela, Samuel Richardson, 1740; 8 Deserted Village, Oliver Goldsmith 1770; 10 Castle of Otranto, Horace Walpole 1764; 11 Castle of Otranto, Horace Walpole 1764; 12 Conclusion

Literature

• Major Works, Samuel Johnson, 978-0199538331
• Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe, 978-1613821275
• Pamela, Samuel Richardson, 978-0199536498
• 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 and class participation 10%, In-class response papers 20%, test 20%, final essay 50%

Language of instruction

English

Further Comments

Study Materials
The course is taught annually.

• Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2016, recent)
  
• Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2016/AJ14002