This course will survey the emergence and development of the Romantic and Victorian literary traditions, starting with the latter part of the 18th and concluding with the end of the 19th century. Romanticism will be studied as the literary and philosophical movement which valorises the individual as well as collaborative dynamics, the impulse to revolt, and radical reform. This part of the course will include, among other works, poetry and prose by Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, Byron, Keats and Barbauld. Victorian literature, in turn, will be viewed as reflecting an era of extraordinary complexity and variety of viewpoints resulting from the immense social changes of the time (serious questioning of, as well as hope raised by, the new sciences and social issues accompanying the new industrial conditions). In this framework we will study the poetry of Tennyson, Arnold, the Brownings and Rossetti. Our reading of the poetry and prose of the two eras will call attention to the social and cultural contexts of literary experience. The course is also designed to develop close-reading skills; class time will therefore be devoted to the interpretation of individual texts and students will be expected to contribute their own interpretations regularly in class. Expected learning outcomes: •Familiarization of students with traits or tendencies found in the writings of both eras •Familiarization of students with the social, historical and philosophical contexts of the time •Learning to read and discuss literary texts in history •Development of close-reading skills Recommended Bibliography: items listed on the Course Outline Distribution of Course Outline with thematic units and exam material? YES Distribution of textbook? We are using materials from The Norton Anthology of English Literature, 8th edition, Vol. 2. Distribution of related bibliography: NO Method of assessment: Åxam at the end
Course Syllabus
