Course Description
An introduction to the literature and culture of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Athena Title
Jane Austen's World
Prerequisite
ENGL 1102 or ENGL 1102E or ENGL 1103 or ENGL 1050H or ENGL 1060H
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Students will gain a broad, balanced introduction to the literature and culture of the late eighteenth-century and early nineteenth century, a period of literary history alternately known as the Romantic or Long Eighteenth Century. It is a period of time closely associated with the years of Jane Austen’s life and literary career. • Students will also become familiar with a wide range of literary texts in several genres (inclusive of non-fiction prose) and be able to integrate their knowledge of the period in class discussion and in the written work that they produce both in and outside of class meetings.
Topical Outline
This course introduces students to the social, historical, and political context of literature written during the long eighteenth century. Instructors may structure the course as they see fit, but in all cases the literature of the long eighteenth century will provide the basis for discussions about, and papers written on, the historical period. Topics may be selected from a wide range of fields. A sample syllabus might include sections on the following topics: • British Topography and Geography and Regional Differences • Responses to the French Revolution: The Revolutionary Controversy • Mind and God, Faith and Doubt • The Business of Literature: Reading, Writing, and Publishing • Theories of Art: Painting, Music, Literature, and the Stage • The Great House Tradition • India and the Orient • Slavery and Abolition