Admission requirements
Literature 1A and/or Literature 2, or equivalent.
Description
Literature 3B is a survey course covering developments in British poetry and prose fiction during the eighteenth-century. The works in question will be read within various aesthetic and historical contexts and will be discussed in light of key concepts such as enlightenment, reason, decorum, the self, faith, the public sphere, sensibility and the imagination. Because the novel is such a dominant literary form in our time, extra attention will be paid to the genesis and development of this genre in the course of the eighteenth century. Other topics covered are stylistic and thematic developments from Neoclassicism through Sensibility towards various types of Romanticism.
Course objectives
By the end of the course students will have:
a firm general knowledge and understanding of the major stylistic, structural and thematic developments in eighteenth-century British literature.
a thorough understanding of the relationship and difference between literary categorie such as Neo-classicism, Sensibility and Romanticism.
the knowledge to place individual literary works in key historical contexts.
further developed their academic research and writing skills by writing a literary-critical essay.
Timetable
The timetable will be available by June 1st on the website
Mode of instruction
2 lectures on academic writing and research skills in block 1
13 Seminars
Self-motivated study of assigned reading
Course Load
The course load for this course is 140 hours
26 hours tutorial
78 hours reading (average hours a week, but some weeks more than others)
20 hours exam preperation
16 hours researching and writing the essay assignment (including the 2 lectures)
These are approximate calculations only. Some students will read quicker and write slower and vice vesra.
Assessment method
An essay of 1200 words with a small research component, presented according to the rules of the MLA stylesheet; minimum grade: 6 (25%).
A mid-term exam in the exam week in October; minimum grade: 5 (35%).
An end-of-term exam in the exam week in December; minimum grade: 5 (40%).
The final grade is determined by calculating the average grade for the above-mentioned assignment and exams, rounded to the nearest half. A final grade below 5,5 (also 5,49) is insufficient. Only when the final grade is insufficient can students resit exams graded lower than 5,5 in January 2015. The resit grade will replace the original grade.
Attendance is compulsory. Unauthorized absence will mean that you cannot take part in the relevant exam(s).
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used to provide students with an overview of current affairs, as well as specific information about (components of) the course.
Reading list
Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe (Penguin)
Fielding, Henry. Joseph Andrews (Oxford World’s Classics)
Godwin, William. Caleb Williams (Oxford World’s Classics)
Greenblatt, Stephen, et al (eds.), The Norton Anthology of English Literature, 9th edition, 2 Vols (Norton)
Radcliffe, Ann, A Sicilian Romance (Oxford World’s Classics)
Richardson, Samuel. Pamela (Oxford World’s Classics)
Registration
Enrollement trough uSis is mandatory. If you have any questions, please contact the departmental office, tel. 071 5272144 or mail: english@hum.leidenuniv.nl.
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Registration Studeren à la carte
Registration Contractonderwijs
Contact details
English Language and Culture student administration, P.N. van Eyckhof 4, room 102C. Tel. 071 5272144; english@hum.leidenuniv.nl.
Coordinator of studies: Ms T.D. Obbens, MA, P.N. van Eyckhof 4, room 103C.
Remarks
The reading for week 1 is: “Introduction to the Restoration and the Eighteenth Century (1660-1785)” and Aphra Behn, “Oroonoko, or the Royal Slave” in The Norton Anthology of English Literature, volume 1.