ENG 310B
Literature in English, 1660-1800
Spring semester, 2006
Professor Stephen Arch
114A Morrill Hall
355-1629
office hours: W 1 – 3 pm, and by appointment
Course description: This course focuses on 18th century Anglo-American literature. It is not a survey of that literature, since we do not have time to survey or overlook or sample all or most of the writers, styles, movements, and genres of the “long eighteenth century” (as some critics refer to this period). For example, we will not be reading any sermons, historical narratives, or plays in this course, despite the fact that those three genres were among the most popular kinds of writing in the period. Instead, we will use our focus on several outstanding 18th century writers and genres to “think historically”: the purpose of this course is to teach you some of the skills, concepts and theories associated with the contextualized, historicized close reading of texts. All sophisticated readers are able to read historically. The course work – lectures, essays, exams, and projects – will be designed with that goal in mind.
Texts: Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography and Other Writings (Oxford)
John Milton, Paradise Lost (Oxford)
Henry Fielding, Tom Jones (Oxford)
Fanny Burney, Evelina (Broadview)
David Fairer, ed., Eighteenth-Century Poetry: An Annotated Anthology (Blackwell)
Roy Porter, English Society in the 18th Century (Penguin)
Required work:
- One 6-8 page critical essay (30%)
- Three one-hour in-class exams (30%)
- Five very short writing assignments (20%)
- Attendance and participation (20%)
Work schedule:
Jan 10 Introduction.
Jan 12 Fairer, pp. 147-155 (Pope, “An Epistle to a Lady”)
Jan 17 Milton, Paradise Lost, Books I and II
Jan 19 Milton, Paradise Lost, Books III and IV
Jan 24 Milton, Paradise Lost, Books V and VI
Jan 26 Milton, Paradise Lost, Books VII, VIII, and IX
Jan. 30 Milton, Paradise Lost, Books X, XI, and XII. In-class exam #1.
Jan. 31 Fairer, pp. 309-329 (Mary Leapor)
Feb 7 Porter, pp. 1-97; Fairer, pp.260-267 (Duck, “The Thresher’s Labour”)
Feb 9 Porter, pp. 98-184
Feb 14 Fielding, Tom Jones, Part I (pp. 1-280)
Feb 16 Fielding, Tom Jones, continued
Feb 21 Fielding, Tom Jones, Part II (pp. 281-595)
Feb 23 Fielding, Tom Jones, continued
Feb. 28 Fielding, Tom Jones, Part III (596-871)
Mar 2 Fielding, Tom Jones, continued; in-class exam #2
March 6 -10
Mar 14 Franklin, Autobiography, Part 1
Mar 16 Franklin, Autobiography, Parts 2 and 3
Mar 21 Porter, pp. 185-310; Fairer, pp. 280-288 (Samuel Johnson, “London”)
Mar 23 Porter, pp. 311-360
Mar 28 Fairer, pp. 73-100 (Jonathan Swift)
Mar 30 Fairer, pp. 113-132 (Alexander Pope, “The Rape of the Lock”)
April 4 Burney, Evelina, pp. 87-242 (pages refer to Broadview ed.; Vol. I in other eds.)
April 6 Burney, Evelina, pp. 243-340 (mid-way through Vol. II)
April 11 Burney, Evelina, pp. 340-554 (complete Vol. II; and Vol. III)
April 13 Burney, Evelina, continued
April 18 Fairer, pp. 211-238 (James Tompson, “Spring”)
April 20 Fairer, pp. 347-368 (Thomas Gray); 6-8 page critical essay due
April 25 Fairer, pp. 178-192 (Lady Mary Wortley Montagu)
April 27 Fairer, pp. 459-469 (Oliver Goldsmith, “The Deserted Village”) and 511-525 (Anna Laetitia Barbauld)
May 3 (Wednesday), 10:00 – 12:00 am in-class exam #3
In addition to whatever text we might be discussing, bring Eighteenth-Century Poetry with you to class every day. Failure to bring the relevant text and Eighteenth-Century Poetry will constitute an absence: it is difficult to discuss a text unless you have it in front of you.
Course goals:
- To learn to read with greater historical awareness and sensitivity
- To become familiar with some of the major authors and literary genres of the eighteenth century
- To investigate the eighteenth century as “pre-modern” or early modern; to think about the ways the eighteenth century is different from “us”
- To write one substantial critical essay, using short writing assignments to practice specific skills in preparation for that substantial essay
Paradise Lost
The poem’s chronology (33days):
Day Event Textual indication
1 Christ’s exaltation V.579ff, 618
2-4 War in heaven V.642, VI 406, 524, 684-686, 748
4-13 Rebel angels’ fall through chaos VI.871
13-22 Rebel angels’ stupor in hell I.50
14-20 The creation VII.131ff
17 Creation of sun and moon VII.386
19 Creation of man VII.550
22 Rebel angels wake up, council I.697
23 Satan observes universe, meets Uriel III.555-561, IV.564
24 Eve first tempted, Satan confronted IV.1015, V.311, VIII.620
24-31 Satan encompasses earth seven nights IX.58-67
32 Satan returns (midnight), Fall (noon) IX.739, X.92ff
33 Michael’s visit, expulsion from Eden XI.184, XII.589
- The fall of the angels takes 13 days (1-13), creation takes 7 days (14-20), the fall of man 13 days (21-33): symmetrical
- The direct action of the poem covers 11 days (22-33), while the reported action from several narrators covers 22 days (1-22): eleven signifies error (not 10, as in the Commandments; not 12, as in the disciples); and the ratio indicates a harmony of 11:22, or 1:2 (see below). The ratio of 1:2, the “octave proportion,” signified the ideal relation between the reason and the emotions.
The poem’s structure:
- The invocations occur at the beginning of Books I, III, VII, and IX, suggesting a pattern of 2:4:2:4, or 1:2:1:2
- The very center of the poem in terms of the number of lines occurs at VI.746, when Christ ascends the chariot to carry out God’s command to “rid heaven of these rebelled” (VI.737)
- The first half or first six books range from hell to heaven to earth; the second half or second six books are focused on a “narrower bound / Within the visible diurnal sphere” (VII.21-22)
- Books 1 and II recount the devils’ plans; Books III and IV recount God’s plans; Books V, VI, VII, and VIII contain many stories recounted by characters themselves (Eve’s dream, Raphael’s long narrative, Adam’s narrative); Books IX and X recount the Fall and its aftermath; Books XI and XII recount the narrative of the future told by Michael. There are many symmetries here: the angels fall out of heaven at the end of the first half of the narrative, for example, while Adam and Eve “fall” out of Eden at the end of the second half of the narrative.
PAPER TOPICS
The 6-8 page critical essay is due on Friday, April 21, by 5:00 pm. You should start planning this essay soon: it is the only essay you are writing for this class, and I have high expectations for it. Your time will be best spent in planning, reading, researching, and drafting the essay over the entire five week period, rather than trying to come up with an idea and write the essay between April 18 and 20 using large doses of coffee, no-doze, and charming wit. Ideally, you will re-read (that is: read twice) whatever text you decide to write upon.
I have provided several paper topics for you to explore; students may pursue other paper topics (some have already begun to do so). If you do wish to explore a different topic, I ask that you see me to discuss the topic. Students who might wish to explore different topics include those who have a clear career interest that might be tied to 18th-century lit and culture (education students, double majors, etc.) or those who have had enough coursework in English classes to be able to work on their own with confidence. Topics that deviate from the ones listed below must be/have been approved by Prof Arch before March 31.
Essays will be graded with these criteria in mind:
• Clarity and quality of argument: does the argument offer a sophisticated analysis of the text? [argument]
• Quality of evidence: does the argument develop, step-by-step or paragraph-by-paragraph, through the use of well-chosen textual evidence? [evidence]
• Quality of writing: is the essay well written, free of grammatical and stylistic errors, reader-friendly, and lively? [style]
• Commitment to and interest in the topic: does the essay show that you have grappled with a text on your own, using our previous discussion of the text only as a starting point, not as an ending point? Do you show an awareness of the ways in which the text is from the 18th century, informed by "their" ideas and conventions and genres, informed by "their" understanding of society or culture or literature? [historicism]
Do not consult outside sources, except for dictionaries (if needed) or Porter's English Society in the 18th Century(if useful). Consulting outside sources of any kind on your topic raises my expectations for your essay, since you need, then, to go "beyond" those sources in order speak in your own voice; if you do consult outside sources, including web sites, even those as innocuous as Yahoo, you must cite them in your essay. Failure to cite ideas you have taken from others constitutes plagiarism. The penalty for plagiarism on this essay is automatic failure in the course.
1. Tom Jonesand narrative voice.
In our discussions of Tom Jones, we noted the difference between the narrative voice of each Book's introductory chapter and the narrative voice that tells the story of Tom and Sophia. Think more about this issue. Why does Fielding do this? What advantages does he gain by narrating the story in this fashion? Construct an essay in which you explore the unusual method by which Fielding narrates Tom Jones, and account for the two kinds of narrative voices in the text.
2. Paradise Lostand plot.
In our discussions of Milton's epic poem, we spent a little time on the architectonic structure of the narrative; you might recall that I discussed the pairing of books and identified some of the numerical pairings that seem to have been part of Milton's intent Break the poem into 4 or 5 or 5 sections, in any way you see fit, and think about the issue of what-comes-where-when. Why does the action of Books III and IV precede the action of Books I and II? Why does the action of Books XI and XII cover all of human history, while the action of Book DC covers only a few hours? Construct an essay in which you explore the relationship between events, time, and narration in Paradise Lost, and explain what Milton is trying to "do" to or for his readers in laying out events in the manner and order and point of view in which he does.
3. Evelinaand epistolarity.
As you will see when we read it, Burney's Evelinais a novel written in letters: an epistolary novel. I have discussed the 18th-century interest in letters, epistles, dialogue, and social exchange since the beginning of the semester (when we read Pope's Epistle to a Lady), and I have argued that it marks the age's commitment to "sociability." Think more about the concept of writing a novel in letters. What advantage does Burney gain by doing so? What limitations are inherent in that method? Construct an essay in which you explore the epistolary method that Burney uses, and explain the power that it gives her over the material.
4. The Rape of the Lockand genre.
As you will see, Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lockis a complicated, satirical look at aristocratic life in London. As a satire, it makes fun of people and institutions; as a five-act drama, it looks like a play; as a story with supernatural characters who intervene in a love story, it looks like a romance; written in heroic couplets, it is a poem. Think about the issue of genre in this long poem. How do the genres of drama, satire, romance, and poetry interact in the work, and what advantages does Pope gain by intermixing those genres? (Please discuss at least three of the four genres I have mentioned.) Why is the poem interested in mixing genres? Construct an essay in which you explore the "formal" (i.e., literary "form") properties of Pope's poem, and explain the way that form and meaning are interrelated.
Professor Arch said “Jump!” I said, “How high?”
I had to ask; he did not specify.
He knows I’ll do whatever thing he asks,
Never mind how lame or stupid the tasks.
I’m glad I have but six more lines to go;
I really hate to write this crap, you know.
A pint or two would really be divine...
Maybe I need another glass of wine!
I tend to hate this cheesy kind of shit;
With that I’ve said my piece so now I’ll quit.
Professor Arch said “Jump!” I said, “How high?”
To this he replied, “Please jump to the sky.”
With downcast eyes I responded like this:
“Like Eve, I’ve fallen, I’m in an abyss.
The sky is too high for me to aim for.”
“If it is looking up that is your chore,”
Responded Professor Arch with a smile,
“Perhaps bifocals might be worth your while.”
Professor Arch said “Jump!” I said, “How high?”
Beneath his strange command therein belie
Devices to improve poetic form;
I knew “How high?” in meter would conform.
Professor Arch said, “Jump,” and I obeyed
By choosing words with jumps that never strayed,
Responding true in rhymed pentadic* pass,
To prove the things I cultivate in class:
To read, to write, and of ideas to converse,
And with my pen, to draft heroic verse.
* “Rate of stepping” (OED)
Professor Arch said “Jump!” I said, “How high?”
And thought about how Fielding might reply:
“Oh flawless, gracious sir, just one thing more
“Would save this awful wretch from getting bored.
“You must agree, for you are good and kind,
“Allowing me to cheer this fretful mind.
“May I, with praise, compose (to this I cleave)
“Ten lines of bad heroic couplets, Steve?”
For all we do in this department fair,
Is fawn and grovel low before the chair!
Professor Arch said “Jump!” I said, “How high?”
No matter what he said I would comply.
“Well, what do you think?” he replied, amused.
His answer left me very much confused.
For many say they know what’s best for me,
So why should I think independently?
The government supports a healthy mind,
But is it easier to see life blind.
All those with minds of wit have naught to gain;
A great achievement is an empty brain!