|
x
|
|
Literature 315: Enlightenment
and Its Discontents
Studies in Restoration and Eighteenth-Century British Literature, 1660-1800
Winter 2007 Dr. Abby Coykendall acoykenda@emich.edu Office: Pray-Harrold Hall 603G Phone: (734) 487-0147 (messages only) Office Hours: M 3:15-5:30; Th 12:45-3:30 PM ~ or email for an
appointment ~
|
Enlightenment and Its Discontents: Studies in Restoration and
18th-Century British Literature
Literature 315, otherwise known as “Literature of the Neoclassical
Period,” is a class in which you will investigate a wide variety of British
literature from the period that spans the late seventeenth, eighteenth, and
early nineteenth century. This period is
generally referred to as the “long” eighteenth century in order to account for
the revolutions that precede and conclude the eighteenth century, both of which
influence the direction of British literary culture profoundly — the
Restoration (of the British monarchy) following the Civil War and, of course,
the French Revolution, the period’s spectacular fin de sičcle
denouement. In addition to
neoclassicism, which is only one of many literary movements prevalent at the
time (and not necessarily the most interesting nor even the most important
one), we will consider other genres also representative of the period, whether
they be gothic, orientalist, libertine, sentimental, or even those prevailing
in the visual arts such as the picturesque, chinoiserie, or rococo.
Perhaps more than any other period, the eighteenth century
represents a moment that we must evaluate and reevaluate to challenge the
values of our own time. Although often
considered the quaint, tea-and-crumpets blueprint for civil societies across
the globe, the British eighteenth century witnesses both the positives and
negatives of modernity in the extreme.
Thus, in midst of a massive expansion of the slave trade, the birth of
the market economy and finance capitalism, as well as an increasingly rigid
sex-gender system (culminating in “Angle of the House” Victorian domesticity),
we find a celebration of art and culture that students of literature still
cannot help but admire. We will test
both the apocalyptic and utopian visions of the British enlightenment through a
diverse array of texts that put issues of modernity at the fore. And ultimately whether discussing literature
or world events, we will attempt to expand rather than confine our engagement
with the material, not only putting literary works in dialogue with the
historical and philosophical texts of the time, but also examining how they
shape the myriad claims to (and contestations against) modernity that continue
to vex our own.
Course
Objectives:
By the end of the semester, students will be able to
1) Comprehend, appreciate,
and critically examine restoration and eighteenth-century literature;
2) Recognize the most significant
changes from the beginning to the end of the period, while also perceiving the
ways in which the period itself differs from those before and after it;
3)
Make connections between the literature
of the period and its historical context by tracing the ways in which the
literature influences the culture and the ways in which the culture influences
the literature in turn;
4)
Partake in some of the most current,
innovative, and suggestive approaches to the field by becoming acquainted with
a select yet representative sample of critical theorists;
5) Reinforce and enrich the
study of restoration and eighteenth-century literature by placing the period
and its culture in a lasting dialogue with our own.
Course
Itinerary:
|
Section One: The Global Eighteenth Century |
Main Assignment: Essay Exam One Begin Research Project |
Case Study (“The Lady’s Dressing Room”); Selections from Swift, Gulliver’s
Travels, Defoe, Robinson Crusoe, Equiano, Interesting Narrative;
Steele, “Inkle and Yarico”; Addison, “The Royal Exchange” Theorist: Edward Said (Orientalism) |
|
Section Two: Inventions, Ideologies:
Sexuality and Gender |
Main Assignment: Essay Exam Two Complete Research Essay |
Restoration Poetry (Rochester, Behn); Pope, Theorist: Ruth Perry (“Colonizing the Breast”) |
Required
Texts:
The following textbook is available at Ned’s (http://www.nedsbooks.com/emu/; 483-6400;
|
|
Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Restoration and
Eighteenth Century
Volume C, Ed. Lawrence Lipking (Norton 2006; ISBN
#0-393-92719-0)
Make sure to get the same edition pictured above even if you
purchase the book online. The most reliable
way to get the correct edition is to search by ISBN number, a fingerprint of
sorts for the book. Many other required
texts are located online in the
Assignments:
Nothing is more vital for success in this course than keeping up
with, and actively engaging in, the reading assignments and class
discussions. Make sure to bring a
copy of each text that we will be discussing to class, whether it be a print
out from the Electronic Reserves or a selection from the anthology. You will need to have read all of the
assigned material, and have it on hand, for the groupwork and class
discussions. As with any university
class, the homework will take around two hours for every unit of the course, so
you can expect to spend six hours each week completing the various homework
assignments and readings.
Writing Assignments
There will be a significant number of writing assignments:
intermittent but informal responses, two essay exams, as well as a short but
polished 5-page research essay. The
primary difference between the responses and the research essay is that with
the responses, the mechanical elements of writing do not matter in the least,
and the goal is to freely and openly express ideas; whereas, with the research
essay, the mechanical elements of writing must be attended to very thoroughly
and the goal is to defend a focused argument clearly, coherently, and
persuasively.
Collaborative Groupwork
Guidelines on the semester-long collaborative groupwork project,
which will culminate in the 5-page research essay that you will author on your
own, will be available in the Electronic Reserves and online: http://people.emich.edu/acoykenda/315/project.htm. All in all, the project
entails 1) reading and researching one of the course materials in advance; 2)
composing a series of discussion questions in cooperation with the peers in
your group; 3) presenting the materials to the rest of the class; and 4)
writing a research essay on the materials, perhaps based on one or two of the
discussion questions that your group designed.
Critical Thinking / Essay Examinations
In order to encourage critical thinking about the material, the
exams will be question driven as well.
There will be one exam at the middle of the semester and another exam at
the end of the semester, each with two sections: the first section (worth 35%)
will have at least two critical responses, in which you will apply the literary
criticism or the historical context to the primary literature, and the second
section (worth 65%) will have an essay question relating to the bulk of the
primary materials, an essay question which you will have conceived and designed
on your own in advance. In effect, in
the second section, you can write on any topic that you like, so long as you
are able to address the majority of the materials covered during that section. You will be able refer to an outline during
the exams, but not to the texts themselves.
Assessment:
The more actively that you participate
in the class discussions and other collaborative assignments, the more that I
can tailor the direction of course to meet your particular interests and
concerns. As indicated in the
table that follows, the participation grade is a considerable portion of your
final grade — 20% — so keep up with the reading, response, and groupwork
assignments and make your voice heard in class.
|
20% |
Responses, Homework, Groupwork,
Participation, & Presentation |
due dates: |
|
25% |
Essay Exam (Section 1): The Global Eighteenth Century |
March 7
|
|
30% |
Essay Exam (Section 2): Inventions,
Ideologies: Sexuality & Gender |
April 23
(11:30-1:00)
|
|
25% |
5-Page Research Essay Stemming from
Collaborative project |
April 30 at the latest (see the schedule) |
Response/Participation points accumulate throughout the semester, serving
as a barometer of your ongoing participation in the course. Missing classes and/or not doing the required
reading will especially hinder your ability to finish these assignments
promptly and properly. The Synopsis of Assignments is available online, which details
how to complete (and how to makeup) the various kinds of coursework: http://people.emich.edu/acoykenda/315/makeup.htm. It also describes the
various extra-credit assignments that you can do to enhance your grade.
Academic
Integrity:
Plagiarism is a very serious offense against the Code
of Student Conduct. Any
cheating on the exams or plagiarized writing will automatically result in a
failing, zero-percent grade for the assignment, as well as in further
disciplinary action from the Student Judicial Services if egregious. The general rule is that if you use three or
more words of another writer in a row without enclosing those words in
quotation marks and acknowledging your source, you are guilty of
plagiarism. Turning in a paper that you
wrote for another course for this course, i.e. recycling the same words for
double credit, also constitutes academic dishonesty at EMU.
See http://www.emich.edu/halle/plagiarism.html
for more specific guidelines on plagiarism. With the internet, plagiarism is easy and
tempting to do; however, the internet also makes plagiarism that much more easy to catch and document, so do not even think about doing
it in this class or elsewhere.
Attendance:
Because this course primarily consists of reading and discussion —
rather than facts, figures, or memorization — attendance is crucial. After FIVE absences, your final letter
grade will start being reduced by one third; that is, the sixth class missed will
turn a final grade of an A into an A-; the seventh, into a B+; and so on. These five absences are for emergencies, so
make sure to conserve them for the end of the term when you may become ill or
have other extenuating circumstances.
Leaving halfway through a class period or arriving halfway into one each
count as half an absence. Please do not
distract other students by coming in late or by answering your cell phone. You
should also never walk in or out of class midway through unless there is a genuine
emergency. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have not been marked
absent because you were late.
Schedule
Section One — The Global Eighteenth Century
Monday, January 8: Overview of Course; Student
Introductions; Conjectural Response on the Period/HOMEWORK: 1) Read the syllabus closely (preferably
online) and jot down any questions that you have; 2) Begin reading “Restoration and
Eighteenth Century” from the Longman Anthology, Part I, 905-910,
available in the Electronic Reserves [ER],
password 315; 3) Read (and Re-Read) Jonathan Swift,
“Lady’s Dressing Room,” available in the ER or the Norton
Anthology [NA], pgs. 2590-93; 4) Survey the Descriptions of Texts
for Groupwork [ER]; 5) Make a list of your three preferred texts for groupwork in order; 6) Email the list of three
texts to me as soon as possible (and at the latest by Jan. 16) if you miss
class Wednesday. [13 pgs.]
Wednesday, January 10: Review Syllabus,
Groupwork, & Conjectural Responses; Discuss Swift &“Modern Venus”/HOMEWORK: 1) Get the Norton Anthology; 2) Continue reading “Restoration and Eighteenth Century” from the Longman
Anthology, Part II, 919-927 [ER]; 3) Begin reading “Restoration and Eighteenth Century” from the Norton
Anthology [NA 2057-70]; 3) Re-read Swift, “Lady’s Dressing Room,” in light of the historical
context; 4) Read the handout on the Collaborative
Groupwork Project and review the Synopsis of Assignments; 5) Make sure to email
the list of your three preferred texts to me as soon as possible (and at the
very latest by Jan. 16) if you miss class. [23 pgs.]
Monday, January 15: No Class: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Wednesday, January 17: Research
Demonstration; Discuss Introductions, Swift, & Groupwork Project/HOMEWORK: 1) If you haven’t already, review the
handout on the Collaborative
Groupwork Project; 2) See the List of Group
Assignments (available by the 19th); 3) Read the material assigned to
your group (Descriptions
of Texts for Groupwork [ER]
specifies where to locate the texts, as well as which texts to read in
conjunction with them). [2+ pgs.]
Monday, January 22: Groupwork Step One
(Notes will be available in the ER)/HOMEWORK: 1) Consult Discussion Questions on Edward
Said [ER]; 2) Read Said, “Imaginative Geography and Its Representations,” Orientalism
[ER]; 3) Read “Travel, Trade, and
the Expansion of Empire” [ER or Norton Topics
Online]; 4) Ongoing Project: a) Do groupwork task; b) Read outside
sources; c) Write research report due 2/5. [6+ pgs.]
Wednesday, January 24: Watch and Discuss Edward
Said on Orientalism/HOMEWORK: 1) Consult Discussion
Questions on Gulliver’s Travels [ER]; 2) Read Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels, Introductory
Material, Chapter 1-2 of Part I [NA
2301-3; 2323-39]; 3) Re-read Said, “Imaginative Geography” [ER]; 4) If you miss class, watch the video on reserve at the Halle
library; 5) Ongoing Project: a) Do groupwork task; b) Read outside sources;
c) Write research report due 2/5. [25+ pgs.]
Monday, January 29: Discuss Orientalism
and Gulliver’s Travels/HOMEWORK: 1) Read Swift, Gulliver’s Travels,
Chapter 5-6 of Part I [NA 2347-56]; 2) Background on Joseph Addison and
Richard Steele [NA 2468-70;
2473-75]; 3) Addison, “The Royal Exchange,” Spectator #69 [NA 2478-81 (or ER)]; 4) Ongoing Project: a) Do groupwork task; b) Read outside sources; c) Write research
report due 2/5. [18+ pgs.]
Wednesday, January 31: Discuss Coffee-House
Capitalism & Gulliver’s Travels/HOMEWORK: 1) Read Swift, Gulliver’s Travels,
Chapter 1-2 of Part II [NA 2365-75];
2) Finish Project Step Two: a) Do groupwork task; b) Read outside sources; c) Write research
report due next class. [11+ pgs.]
Monday, February 5: 2˝-Page Research
Report Due; Groupwork Step Two (Notes will be available in the ER)/HOMEWORK: 1) Read Swift, Gulliver’s Travels,
Chapter 3 & 5 of Part II [NA
2375-81, 2384-89]; 2) Group One must email the discussion questions to me by 3
PM on the 11th; Group Two by 3 PM on the 13th; Group
Three by 3 PM on the 18th; 3) All remaining groups should consult the
schedule on the List of Group Assignments
and take note of when their discussion questions are due. [12 pgs.]
Wednesday, February 7: Discuss Gulliver’s
Travels/HOMEWORK: 1) Read Swift, Gulliver’s
Travels, Chapter 8 of Part II; Chapter 2 of Part III; Chapter 1, 2, 5, 11 (last
2 paragraphs), & 12 of Part IV [NA
2398-2410; 2418-25; 2431-35; 2458-62]; 2) Write a 250-word response (typed or otherwise) on Gulliver’s Travels, incorporating Said
in some fashion. [27 pgs.]
Monday, February 12: Conclude
Discussion of Gulliver’s Travels/HOMEWORK: 1) View America
Awakens etching and Exotic Tourism ad [ER]; 3) Consult Discussion Questions
for Steele [ER]; 3) Read (and Re-Read) Richard Steele, “Inkle and Yarico” [NA 2476-78 (or ER)]. [16 pgs.]
Wednesday, February 14: Discuss the Romancing of Empire; Group
One Presents Steele/HOMEWORK:
1) Read Robinson Crusoe Summary [ER]; 2) Background on Daniel Defoe [NA 2288-89]; 3) Consult Discussion Questions
for Defoe [ER]; 4) Read Selections from Defoe, Robinson Crusoe [ER]. [30 pgs.]
Monday, February 19: Conclude Romancing of Empire Discussion; Group Two Presents Defoe/HOMEWORK: 1) Read “Slavery and the Slave Trade in Britain” [Norton Topics
Online]; 2) Consult Discussion Questions for Equiano [ER]; 3) Read Selections from Olaudah Equiano, Interesting Narrative
[NA 2850-59]; 3) Write an informal, 250-word response comparing and contrasting
Defoe with either Addison, Steele, or Equiano. [11 pgs.]
Wednesday, February 21: Discuss Transatlantic
Slave Trade; Group Three Presents Equiano; Begin Review for
Exam One/HOMEWORK: 1) Review Handout on Exam One
[ER]; 2) Optional Reading, “Taking Essay Exams” [ER]; 3) Review Section One Materials; 4) Draft Essay Question and Outline
for Exam One. [0 pgs.]
Monday,
February 26—Wednesday, February 28: NO CLASS (Winter Recess)
Monday, March 5: Survey Section to
Review for Exam; Peer-Review Outlines/HOMEWORK: 1) Prepare for Exam One; 2) Optional: Meet with me during my office hours to confer about your
essay outline (M 3:15-5:30; Th 12:45-3:30). [0 pgs.]
Wednesday, March 7: Exam One (The
Global Eighteenth Century)/HOMEWORK: 1) Finish
“Restoration and Eighteenth Century” from the Longman Anthology, Part
III [ER 911-918]; 2) Finish “Restoration and
Eighteenth Century” in the Norton Anthology [NA 2070-80]; 3) Be prepared for a brief quiz on the introductions next
class. [17 pgs.]
Section Two — Inventions, Ideologies: Sexuality and Gender
Monday, March 12: Introduction to the
Section; Quiz/HOMEWORK: 1) Consult Discussion Questions for Restoration
Poetry [ER]; 2) Background
on Rochester and Behn [NA 2167-68;
2178-80]; 3)
Read (and Re-Read) Earl of Rochester, “Disabled Debauchee” and “The
Imperfect Enjoyment” [NA 2168-71]; 4) Read
(and Re-Read) Aphra Behn, “The Disappointment” [NA 2180-83]; 5) Optional: Watch The Libertine, perhaps writing an extra-credit response (Dir.
Laurence Dunmore, 2004). [17 pgs.]
Wednesday, March 14: Group
Four Presents Restoration Poetry/HOMEWORK: 1) Consult Discussion Questions for Haywood [ER]; 2) Background
on Haywood [NA 2565-66]; 3) Read Eliza Haywood, Fantomina [NA 2566-85
(or ER)]. [25+ pgs.]
Monday, March 19: Group Five Presents
Haywood; Set up Jigsaw Coverage of Perry/HOMEWORK: 1) Consult Discussion Questions for Montagu [ER]; 2) Read
Background on Lady Mary Wortley Montagu [NA
2584-85]; 3)
Read Montagu, “Reasons that Induced” [NA 2593-95]; 4) Read Montagu, Turkish Embassy Letters [ER]. [13 pgs.]
Wednesday, March 21: Group Six Presents
Montagu/HOMEWORK: 1) Consult Handout
on Ruth Perry [ER]; 2) Read Perry, “Colonizing the Breast,” Parts 1 & 2 [ER]; 3) Do your particular task in the 250-word response. [23 pgs.]
Monday, March 26: Jigsaw Coverage of Perry/HOMEWORK: 1) Read
Background on Pope (NA
2493-96; 2513-21); 2) Read (and Re-Read) Alexander Pope, Rape
of the Lock, “Letter” & Canto 1-2 [NA
2513-21]. [20 pgs.]
Wednesday, March 28: Conclude Jigsaw Coverage
of Perry; Discuss Poetics, Pope; & The Rape/HOMEWORK: 1) Consult the Battle of the Sexes
Handout [ER]; 2) Finish
Pope, Rape of the Lock,
and re-read the poem in its entirety[NA 2514-32]; 3) Write a
250-word response arguing for either Proposition A or Proposition B on the
handout. [45 pgs.]
Monday, April 2: Continue Discussion
of Pope; Battle of the Sexes Debate/HOMEWORK: 1) Consult
Discussion Questions for Gray; 2) Read Background on Thomas Gray [NA 2862-63]; 3) Read (and Re-Read) Gray,
“Ode on the Death of a Favorite Cat” [NA 2865-66 (or ER)]; 4) Review William Blake’s Illustrations for
Gray’s Ode [ER]; 5)
Also see the illustration available in the insert of the anthology [NA C32]. [18 pgs.]
Wednesday, April 4: Group Seven Presents
Gray/HOMEWORK: 1) Consult Discussion Questions for Gay; 2) Read Background on John Gay [NA
2611-12];
3) Begin reading Gay, Beggar’s Opera,
Act 1-Act 2, Scene 13 [NA 2613-35].
[22 pgs.]
Monday, April 9: Group Eight Begins Presentation
on Beggar’s Opera/HOMEWORK: 1) Read Background on Hogarth [NA
2656-57];
2) Review the close-up images and read the
accompanying text for William Hogarth’s Marriage A-la-Mode [NA 2658-63]; 3) Also
review the version online, clicking for larger images
(http://people.emich.edu/acoykenda/315/hogarth.htm). [20 pgs.]
Wednesday, April 11: Watch and Discuss Hogarth’s
Marriage ŕ la Mode (40 min.)/HOMEWORK: 1) Finish reading Gay, Beggar’s
Opera, Act 2, Scene 14-Act 3 [NA 2635-56]; 2) Write a 250-word response
comparing and/or contrasting Gay with Behn, Rochester, Haywood, Montagu, or
Gray.
[21 pgs.]
Monday, April 16: Group Eight Concludes
Presentation on Beggar’s Opera/HOMEWORK: 1) Review Handout on Exam Two
[ER]; 2) Draft Essay Question and Outline for Exam Two; 3) Optional: Meet with me during my office hours to confer about your
outline (M 3:15-5:30; Th 12:45-3:30); 4)
Review Conjectural Responses from the first day of class; 5) Write an Optional, 250-word Extra-Credit Response on the
Conjectural Response (see the Synopsis of Assignments); 6) Make up any missing assignments by 4/23 at the latest. [0 pgs.]
Wednesday, April 18: Course Retrospect;
Workshop Essay Outlines; Survey Section Two to Review for Exam/HOMEWORK: 1) Prepare for Exam Two; 2) Make up any missing assignments by
4/23 at the latest. [0 pgs.]
Monday, April 23 (1:30-3:00): Exam Two (Inventions,
Ideologies: Sexuality and Gender)/HOMEWORK: 1) Work on 5-page
Research
Essay if not already completed.
Monday, April 30 (12:00 PM): 5-Page Research
Essay Due (Either drop it in my mailbox in the English Department, 612 Pray Harrold,
or slide it under my office door, 603G Pray Harrold; if the office is closed,
you can approach the mailboxes from the back hallway; anything handed in after
12 PM sharp will not be given any credit, nor will papers sent by email.
[Syllabus last modified January
4, 2007]