Course Information
Spring Semester 2009
Course Description
The 18th-Century English Novel course will take the form of lectures and the readings from texts. The focus will, firstly, be on Defoe, Richardson and Fielding, but we will also note the fashion for the sentimental novel (Sterne, Mackenzie) and the craze for gothic and orientalist novels. The main task of the course will be to investigate the arrival of the novel in terms of its social context. Some reference will be made to Puritanism (Bunyan, Whitfield), and the biographies of London criminals (Jonathan Wild), before we read the first set book The Rise of the Novel, by Ian Watt. The second task is to read and comment on Sense and Sensibility of Jane Austen with the help of a selection of critical studies.
Objectives
The objective is that students learn to look beyond the familiar text, to other primary sources and secondary literature. The methods of social history and sociology throw new light on literature, just as, it will be suggested, literature can give us a better understanding of society.
Requirements
The requirement is to gain a good knowledge of chapters 1, 2 and 5 of The Rise of the Novel, and be ready to write exams on a range of topics from Sense and Sensibility.
Set Books
Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen (1811), many editions.
The Rise of the Novel, Ian Watt (first publ. Chatto and Windus, 1953), many editions. Translated in 2007 as Romanın Yükselişi and published by Metis,
Grading
Final Exam 100%
Lecture Timetable
|
Room 307-B |
Thursday, |
|
Room 328-B |
Friday, |
Instructor
|
Dr. Peter Starr |
Office: 126-A |
Required Text and Materials
Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen (1811), many editions.
The Rise of the Novel, Ian Watt (first publ. Chatto and Windus, 1953), many editions. Translated in 2007 as Romanın Yükselişi and published by Metis,
Hand-outs are provided before the lectures.
Weekly Course Plan
|
Week |
Date |
Lectures |
|
Week 1 |
19 Feb 20 Feb |
The Rise of the Novel: what is new about the novel. Defoe, Moll Flanders. Jonathan Swift, The Battle of the Books. |
|
Week 2 |
26 Feb 27 Feb |
John Gay, The Beggar’s Opera. Defoe, Robinson Crusoe. Criminal London, Ralph Wilson’s confession. |
|
Week 3 |
5 March 6 March |
Criminal London, Trials at the Old Bailey. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Progress and the Arts. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Progress and the Arts. |
|
Week 4 |
12 March 13 March |
Defoe, The Apparition of Mrs Veal. Sense and Sensibility: chapter two. Defoe at the pillory. |
|
Week 5 |
19 March 20 March |
Women readers. Bunyan, Pilgrim’s Progress. George Whitfield. |
|
Week 6 |
26 March 27 March |
The Rise of the Novel. Sense and Sensibility: video of the bbc version. Sense and Sensibility: video of the bbc version. |
|
Week 7 |
2 April 3 April |
The Rise of the Novel. Mackenzie, The Man of Feeling. Richardson, Pamela. |
|
Week 8 |
9 April 10 April |
Sense and Sensibility and marriage. Protestantism and the novel. Protestantism and the novel. |
|
Week 9 |
16 April 17 April |
Changes in attitudes to love and the family. Mock exam. Mock exam. |
|
Week 10 |
23 April 24 April |
Children’s Day (holiday). Sense and Sensibility: Colonel Brandon in criticism Sense and Sensibility: almanac. |
|
Week 11 |
30 April 1 May |
Rise of the Novel. The gothic novel. The orientalist novel. |
|
Week 12 |
7 May 8 May |
Rise of the Novel. Sense and Sensibility: Elinor and Marianne in criticism. Sense and Sensibility: Elinor and Marianne in criticism. |
|
Week 13 |
14 May 15 May |
Sterne, Tristram Shandy. Fielding, Tom Jones. Rise of the Novel: the passage of time. |
|
Week 14 |
21 May 22 May |
Review of the course. Preparation for the exam. Preparation for the exam. |
Course Evaluation
Based on performance in the final exam.
Exams
The mock exam asks the candidates to write two essays, one on The Rise of the Novel and one on Sense and Sensibility. Time allowed: 2 hours.
The final exam will be similar to the mock exam.
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Url:http://ell218.cankaya.edu.tr