| CODE | ENG2055 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Eighteenth-Century Prose 1: The Rise of the Novel | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 2 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | English | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This reviews the historical, cultural, and literary backgrounds to the rise of a major literary form in the eighteenth century. England’s increasing prosperity and the extension of the reading class are reflected in emerging political structures. These developments, together with a growing interest in the individual, contributed to the swift rise of the novel form in the eighteenth century. This study-unit introduces students to some of the best examples of fiction from this period, explores some of its major concerns, and studies the literary methods employed by the authors. The following novels will be discussed in detail: Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe; Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Fielding’s Tom Jones. Further recommended reading might include: Richardson’s Pamela; Laurence Sterne’s A Sentimental Journey, Frances Burney’s Evelina. Tobias Smollett’s Humphrey Clinker; Norton Critical Editions (when available) of these primary texts are recommended. Study-unit Aims: • to present three foundational English novels of the eighteenth century; • to teach the most important thematic concerns of Daniel Defoe, Jonathan Swift, and Henry Fielding in relation to the political, social and religious concerns of the period; • to demonstrate convergences and divergences between the set texts; • to examine the narrative techniques used by the three writers and to connect these with the development of the novel in eighteenth century and beyond; • to teach the critical terms required for the literary analysis of the eighteenth century novel. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: • understand the rise of the novel form in Britain; • appreciate Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver's Travels, Tom Jones; • recognise the influence of a particular period of history upon selected novels written at the time; • understand how artistic endeavour was influenced by eighteenth century society. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: • discern the literary treatment of political, social and religious concerns of eighteenth century Britain; • identify the influences between the texts studied, or how they converge or diverge in their literary construction of the eighteenth century in Britain; • discern the literary techniques employed by writers in the developing the genre of the novel; • produce advanced textual/critical commentary upon selected texts from the literature studied. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: • Michael Shinagel ed., Robinson Crusoe (Norton Critical Editions: 1994) • Albert J. Rivero ed., Gulliver's Travels (Norton Critical Editions: 2002) • Sheridan Baker., Tom Jones (Norton Critical Edition: 1994) • Ian Watt,The Rise of the Novel (Hogarth Press: 1957) • John Richetti, The Cambridge Companion to the Eighteenth Century Novel (Cambridge: 2003) • John Richetti, The English Novel in History 1700-1780 (Routledge: 1999) • Liz Bellamy Commerce, Morality & the 18th Century Novel (Cambridge UP: 2005) • Peter Earle The World of Defoe (Weidenfeld & Nicolson: 1976) • Maximillian E. Novak, Daniel Defoe - Master of Fictions: His Life and Ideas (Oxford UP: 2001) • John Richetti, The Life of Daniel Defoe (Blackwell: 2005) • John Richetti, The Cambridge Companion to Daniel Defoe (Cambridge Companions to Literature) (Cambridge UP:2009) • Kathleen Williams, Jonathan Swift and the age of compromise (Kansas UP: 1968) • Irvin Ehrenpreis, Swift: the Man, his Works, and the Age (1983) • Christopher Fox, The Cambridge Companion to Jonathan Swift (Cambridge Companions to Literature) (Cambridge:2003) • Ronald Paulson, ed., Fielding: A Collection of Critical Essays (Textbook Publications: 2003) • Claude Rawson The Cambridge Companion to Henry Fielding (Cambridge Companions to Literature: 2007) • Neil Compton, ed., Henry Fielding: Tom Jones (Palgrave Macmillan: 1970) |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Stella Borg Barthet |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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