Course Description
The theory, history, and development of the novel as a literary form.
Athena Title
History and Theory of Novel
Prerequisite
Two 2000-level ENGL courses or (one 2000-level ENGL course and one 3000-level ENGL course) or (one 2000-level ENGL course and one 2000-level CMLT course)
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Students will develop their critical appreciation and understanding of the novel as a mode of literary art, of the development of prose fiction, and of theoretical accounts of the formal characteristics, aesthetics, and cultural position of the novel. Students will produce about twenty to twenty-five pages of writing over the course of the semester, perhaps as three papers, two examinations, an annotated bibliography and a substantial research paper, or as a series of short responses or in-class essays to be revised into longer essays. Regardless of the specific form of writing required, students will learn to integrate larger insights about genre and/or theories of the novel with close reading of individual texts.
Topical Outline
The texts to be studied and organizing themes of the course will vary from instructor to instructor and semester to semester. In general, students can expect an emphasis on many or all of the following topics: 1) the history and development of prose fiction through the eighteenth century 2) the process that Ian Watt has called “the rise of the novel” over the eighteenth century, including the development of literary realism 3) the analysis of the formal features of the novel 4) literary theories of the novel (for instance, its relationships to modern individualism, print textuality, journalism, nationalism, or gender) 5) the development of the modern novel 6) the novel’s place with respect to the study of narrative and the development of other narrative modes and genres Literary and theoretical works will be read outside of class and discussed in class, examined individually and comparatively. Periodically during the semester, students will perform a number of graded tasks, including some combination of tests and out-of-class papers.
Syllabus