English 230: 18th Century British Literature
Novels, Women, and the Marketplace
Professor Noelle
Brada-Williams
Class: 7-9:45 PM Tuesday, FO 104
Office: FO 110 Office
Hours: M 2-4 PM & W, 10-11:45 PM
(and additional times by
appointment)
Phone: 924-4439
Email:
awilli@email.sjsu.edu
Website:
www.sjsu.edu/faculty/awilliams
The history of the early novel in English cannot be extricated from
either the importance of women in its birth—as authors, readers,
and subject matter, or from the rise of the development of the literary
marketplace. With that in mind, we will begin by looking at work by one
of the earliest English novelists and arguably the most important woman
writer of the era, Aphra Behn. This will include reading one novel and
one of her plays—playwriting being the only real avenue of self
support for a writer during the Restoration era. We will then read
satires on the rise of the literary marketplace and professional
writers by Swift and Pope. The satires will be followed by two novels
by men who achieved great successes in the literary marketplace by
fabricating female narrators, Defoe’s Roxana and Richardson’s Pamela. We will conclude with two novels by prominent women novelists of the second half of the eighteenth-century: The Female Quixote (1752) and Evelina (1778).
Course Objectives:
1. Examination of Restoration and Eighteenth-century literary techniques.
2. Exploration of the material conditions which shaped the production of Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Literature.
3. Attainment of familiarity with a range of eighteenth-century authors, works, and concepts.
4. Practice summarizing, responding to, and presenting on current critical discussions.
5. Further sharpening of students’ research and writing skills.
Grading:
| Presentation on a Text |
Provide an overview of criticism of the text in order to inform our class discussion (may include handout) |
15% |
| Proposal and Annotated Bibliography |
One-page proposal (for long research paper) plus min. of 10 annotated bibliographic entries |
20%
|
| Research Paper |
15-20 page essay |
40% |
| Paper presentation |
10-minute presentation on a condensed/edited version of your research paper |
10% |
| Participation |
Participation in 15 classes, including prepared questions and comments on each week’s readings |
15% |
| Total |
|
100% |
The participation grade may also include brief written or oral assignments.
Academic Integrity Statement (Office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development):
Your own commitment to learning, as evidenced by your enrollment at San
José State University, and the University’s Academic
Integrity Policy requires you to be honest in all your academic course
work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the
Office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development. The policy on
academic integrity can be found at http://sa.sjsu.edu/student_conduct.
Campus policy in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act:
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a
disability, or if you need special arrangements in case the building
must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as
possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03
requires that students with disabilities requesting accommodations must
register with DRC to establish a record of their disability.
Seven Required Texts:
- Aphra Behn, Oroonoko, The Rover and Other Works(Penguin)
- Frances Burney, Evelina(Bedford Cultural Edition)
- Daniel Defoe, Roxana(Penguin)
- Charlotte Lennox, The Female Quixote(Oxford)
- Alexander Pope, Poetry and Prose of Alexander Pope(Houghton Mifflin Riverside)
- Samuel Richardson, Pamela(Oxford)
- Jonathan Swift, Tale of a Tub and Other Works(Oxford)
Recommended Texts:
- MLA Handbook or MLA Style Manual
Reading and Writing Schedule: Expect to read various works of criticism in addition to the primary texts assigned each week.
Week One
August 27, M: Introduction.
Week Two
September 3, M: Labor Day Holiday
Week Three
September 10, M: Aphra Behn, The Rover & Oroonoko
Week Four
September 17, M: Jonathan Swift, Tale of Tub and Battle of the Books
Week Five
September 24, M: Alexander Pope, Dunciad Variorum
Week Six
October 1, M: Defoe, Roxana (to page 202)
Week Seven
October 8, M: Finish Defoe, Roxana
Week Eight
October 15, M: Samuel Richardson, Pamela Vol. I (to page 219)
Week Nine
October 22, M: Samuel Richardson, Pamela Vol. II
Week Ten: Proposal and Annotated Bibliography due
October 29, M: Conclude discussion of Samuel Richardson, Pamela and discuss research projects.
Week Eleven
November 5, M: Charlotte Lennox, The Female Quixote Vol. I
Week Twelve
November 12, M: Veterans’ Day
Week Thirteen
November 19, M: Charlotte Lennox, The Female Quixote Vol. II plus appendixes
Week Fourteen
November 26, M: Frances Burney, Evelina Vol. I and Vol. II through Letter XVII (page 257)
Week Fifteen
December 3, M: Complete Burney’s Evelina.
Week Sixteen:
December 10, M: Research Papers due, presentations of shortened versions of the research papers begins
Finals Week Meeting
December 17, Monday 7:30-10 PM: Paper Presentations Part 2