August/September

October

November

December

PURPOSE OF THE COURSE
This course focuses on British literature of the Romantic era, a period that extends roughly from 1789 (the beginning of the French Revolution) until 1832 (passage of the Reform Bill).  Although the primary focus will be on the literature itself, which we will discuss in great detail, we will also incorporate consideration not only of historical context, but also biographical and intellectual factors as well.

OBJECTIVES
English 315 aims to teach students to:

• identify the major events associated with the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and the Greek War for Independence as well as the legal, political, and social responses in England and abroad, including the abolition and reform movements.
• identify the major biographical experiences of the writers of the Romantic period.
• explain the importance of these events and experiences to the thinking of these writers.
• examine the literary texts produced by the writers of the period in terms of their use of specific literary techniques as well as their presentation of thematic issues associated with the period, including the concepts of solitude, the imagination, the sublime, the beautiful, and the figures of Nature and the Poet.
• examine the literary texts produced by the writers of the period in terms of their political and intellectual beliefs.
• demonstrate their understanding of course content through participation in class discussions, oral presentations, critical response papers, research papers, and examinations.

1. evaluate the influence of historical and biographical events on the writings of the figures of the Romantic period.
2. analyze the texts produced during the period in terms of representative themes.
3. distinguish between different texts in terms of their aesthetic, political, and philosophical viewpoints.
4. produce effective arguments, in both oral and written forms, regarding the literature of the period.

• Class participation
• Homework questions on the readings
• Critical response paper
• Oral presentation
• Documented research paper using MLA style
• Midterm and final examinations

GRADING

Class Participation Homework Critical Response Paper Midterm Exam Student Presentation Research Paper Final Exam

10 % 10 % 10 % 20 % 10 % 20 % 20 %

REQUIRED TEXTS

• Wolfson & Manning, eds. The Longman Anthology of British Literature, Vol. 2a: The Romantics and Their Contemporaries. 3rd Ed.
• Shelley, Frankenstein, Longman Cultural Edition.
• Austen, Emma, Longman Cultural Edition.

Attendance. Students are expected to attend every class. If you are forced to miss class, written verification for the reason for your absence is expected. Because of the importance of regular attendance, excessive (more than three) unexcused class absences WILL result in the loss of points from the final average. Excessive lates will also lower your grade. The complete attendance policy can be found on the class homepage. Please come speak with me if you have any questions.

Reading Assignments, Homework, and Participation.  Students are required to bring all necessary books with them to class.  On-line versions are available for most readings, so economic hardship, while certainly a reality for many of us, does not constitute a valid excuse in this context.  Please come speak with me if you have any questions.

All assigned readings must be completed before coming to class.  You are expected to submit typed responses to all assigned homework questions for the readings at the beginning of class. You are also expected to arrive prepared to provide thoughtful discussions of the daily readings, responding to questions from the instructor or your classmates as they arise.  Classroom discussion will involve the open sharing of ideas and interpretations of the literature.  Because every person's opinion is valid, we will demonstrate civility and respect for each other, taking turns to provide our observations and not interrupting each other.  Only raised hands will be acknowledged.

Writing Assignments. There will be one (1) brief (800 word minimum) critical response paper,  in addition to one (1) documented research paper (2500 word minimum), using a minimum of eight documented sources, six of which must be secondary sources.

All papers will follow MLA format: Typed, double-spaced, use parenthetical citations and, when necessary, a list of works cited, including references made to the textbook. (Sample MLA Papers can be found on the homepage )  The main point of the response papers is to allow you the opportunity to explore specific aspects of texts that you find interesting in terms of the major themes and issues we discuss, but the specific focus is largely up to you.

• Late Homework Assignments will receive half credit, but opportunities for "makeup" or "extra" credit will also be explained.
• Homework WILL be considered late if it is handed in at the end of class.
• Late Final papers will lose 2/3 of a letter grade for each class day.
• Papers are due by the end of business. If you do not hand the paper in directly to Dr. Mekler, you may submit it to him during his office hours or place the paper in his mailbox in Holmes 202.  Dr. Mekler does not assume any responsibility for papers left in his mailbox.  You may also email papers as MS Word attachments, but it is strongly recommended that you still bring a hard copy of the paper with you to the next class, especially if you do not receive confirmation of receipt from Dr. Mekler.
• Paper slid under Dr. Mekler’s door will be considered late.
• Untyped papers will NOT be accepted.
• Of course, plagiarism will not be tolerated. Please familiarize yourself with the policy found on the class homepage and let Dr. Mekler know if anything is unclear.
• In order to have your final research paper accepted, your topic must be approved by the stated deadline. Please come talk to Dr. Mekler if you have any questions.

Reading List (Subject to Subtle Revision):

Aug	25	Course Introduction  Brief Historical Background
	27	"The Romantics and their Contemporaries" Longman, 2-29
	29	French Revolution Video
Sept	1	Labor Day:  No Class
	3	French Revolution Video (concl.)
	5	The French Revolution Burke, 103-12 Wollstonecraft, 112-21
	8	Paine, 121-28 Godwin, 128-33
	10	Wordsworth, 385-86 Intro. to The Prelude, 452-53 Prelude, Bks 9-10, 489-504
	12	Prelude, cont.
	15	WW, Lyrical Ballads, 387 Preface to Lyrical Ballads, 408-20 "Simon Lee," 387-90
	17	WW, "Lines Written in Early Spring,"  393-94 WW, " Lines Written a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey," 404-8
	19	Coleridge, 570-71 "Ancient Mariner," 578-95
	22	STC, "Christabel," 598-614
	24	STC, "Kubla Khan," 614-16 "Dejection:  An Ode," 619-23
	26	Coleridge, cont.
	29	Blake, 150-52 Songs of Innocence and Experience, 156-57 "The Chimney Sweeper," 161-62, 174 "The Tyger," 177-78 "London," 179
Oct	1	The Abolition Movement, 209-10 Clarkson, 250-59
	3	Equiano, 210-19 Prince, 219-24
	6	Blake, "The Little Black Boy," 160-61 Southey, Sonnets 3-6, 244-46
	8	WW, 259-61 "To Toussaint L'Ouverture,"  "To Thomas Clarkson,"  Prelude, from Book 10
	10	Female Voices Wollstonecraft, from Vindication of the Rights of Woman, 279-303 Critical Response Paper Due
	13	Wollstonecraft, from Maria, or The Wrongs of Woman, 303-14
	15	Dorothy Wordsworth, 538-40 Grasmere Journals, 551-57  WW, "Resolution and Independence,"  520-24 "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," 526
	17	Midterm Examination
	20	Jane Austen, Emma,  Introduction & Vol. I, xi-xxiv, 1-114 Research Topic Due
	22	Emma, Vol. II, 115-233
	24	Emma, Vol. III, 233-360
	27	Emma wrap-up
	29	The Younger Generation Lord Byron, 656-58 Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, 711-25
	31	Byron,  "She Walks in Beauty,'" 658 "Stanzas," 808 "On This Day I Complete My Thirty-Sixth Year," 808-9
Nov	3	Don Juan, Dedication, 727-32 Canto I, 732-78 Last Day to Drop Classes
	5	Canto I, Cont.
	7	Byron, Don Juan, Canto II & III, 779-804
	10	Hemans, 877-78 "The Bride of the Greek Isle," 887-92
	12	Hemans, "Properzia Rossi," 892-95 "Indian Woman's Death-Song," 896-97
	14	Percy Shelley, 814-16 "from A Defence of Poetry," 867-76
	17	WW, "London, 1802," 451-52 PBS, "To Wordsworth," 816-17
	19	PBS, "Sonnet: England in 1819," 824  "The Mask of Anarchy," 824-34
	21	PBS, "Ode to the West Wind," 835-37 "To a Sky-Lark," 837-39
	24	Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, Introduction xvii-xxxii Author's Introduction, 186-91 Journal Entries, 245-47 Preface & Vol. 1, 3-64 Last Day to Have Final Research Paper Topics Approved
	26	Vol. 2, 64-115
	28	Thanksgiving Break:  No Class
Dec	1	Vol. 3, 115-79
	3	Frankenstein, concl.
	5	Keats, 920-22 The Odes of 1819, 950-51 "Ode to a Nightingale," 953-55 "Ode on a Grecian Urn," 955-57 Letters to Bailey, George and Thomas Keats, and Reynolds, 992-95 Research Paper Due
	17	Final Exam: Place and Time TBA; Date subject to Change

Back to Top
Back to Links