Satire and Sentiment: British Literature, 1660

ENGL21181 Satire and Sentiment: British Literature, 1660–1820 20 Semester 1 Undergraduate Level 2 Noelle Gallagher Unit coordinator 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Middle part of Bachelors ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 10.0 The long eighteenth century in Britain (c. 1660–1820) is often understood as split between an ‘age of satire’ and an ‘age of sentiment’. The first term has been used to describe the sharply witty moral judgements of the first half of the century, while the second has defined the expressive feelings of the mid-century ‘novel of sensibility’ and Romanticism. Although satire and sentiment have typically been identified as competing aesthetic and social discourses, in this course we explore the connections between, and importance of, these two influential literary modes. We read satirical and sentimental writing in poetry and prose, including several different kinds of novels: amatory fiction, epistolary novel, romance, fictional autobiography, political detective fiction, feminist gothic thriller. This course will situate these works within their historical and cultural contexts and explore some of the critical approaches that have been applied to the literature of this period. Topics we will consider along the way include: representations of gender, sexuality, sexual violence, and the body; eighteenth-century aesthetics; colonialism and slavery; criminality and class; popular and elite culture; relations between human and animal/nature and culture; expressions of consciousness. The long eighteenth century in Britain (c. 1660–1820) is often understood as split between an ‘age of satire’ and an ‘age of sentiment’. The first term has been used to describe the sharply witty moral judgements of the first half of the century, while the second has defined the expressive feelings of the mid-century ‘novel of sensibility’ and Romanticism. Although satire and sentiment have typically been identified as competing aesthetic and social discourses, in this course we explore the connections between, and importance of, these two influential literary modes. We read satirical and sentimental writing in poetry and prose, including several different kinds of novels: amatory fiction, epistolary novel, romance, fictional autobiography, political detective fiction, feminist gothic thriller. This course will situate these works within their historical and cultural contexts and explore some of the critical approaches that have been applied to the literature of this period. Topics we will consider along the way include: representations of gender, sexuality, sexual violence, and the body; eighteenth-century aesthetics; colonialism and slavery; criminality and class; popular and elite culture; relations between human and animal/nature and culture; expressions of consciousness. - To read some of the major literary works written between 1680 and 1820 - To encourage the use of a range of theoretical and critical approaches to inform the close reading of poetry and prose - To make students aware of different literary genres and of the main lines of development in poetry and fiction from this period - To enable students to situate literary texts within their historical, political, and cultural contexts - To examine the relation between literary discourse and ideology in the period - To explore the relations between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture in eighteenth-century Britain - To foster an interest in eighteenth-century literature and culture - To develop skills of critical thought, speech, and writing in relation to the study of eighteenth-century literature. By the end of this course students should  be able to:- display a detailed and convincing knowledge of a wide range of eighteenth-century texts, and offer close readings of them.- display some knowledge of the relations between texts and their moments of their production and reception.- discuss different varieties of satire, sentiment, and the novel, and explain how these modes influenced the development of the English literary tradition.   By the end of this course students should be able to:- summarize and engage with different critical and theoretical approaches to reading texts- use the vocabulary of literary criticism to provide detailed analyses of course texts. By the end of this course students will be able to:- discuss and debate course topics and ideas- develop a logical, coherent written argument based on the explication of evidence. By the end of this course students will be able to:- read and explicate difficult texts- provide detailed rhetorical analysis (close reading)- construct clear, well-substantiated, and thoughtful written arguments.- present information to a group. Other This course will help students develop advanced literacy and analytical skills. It will give them experience with public speaking, formal academic writing, formulating and explicating an argument, and using logic and evidence. Students will also develop their IT skills by using Blackboard and other computer systems.    0 Other 40% 2 Written assignment (inc essay) 60% Written feedback on close readings (Formative and Summative) Written feedback on essay (Summative) N Many of the texts for this module will be provided on Canvas, but you’ll be required to borrow or purchase some longer works.  Please contact the course unit director for specifics, as texts can change year on year.  Works to be studied often include:Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels Eliza Haywood, Fantomina Samuel Richardson, PamelaCharlotte Lennox, The Female Quixote  Laurence Sterne, Tristram Shandy  Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, The African  Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey  Poetry by John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, and others). Lectures 22 Seminars 11 0 167