ENGLISH 3307.002: Restoration and Eighteenth-Century British Literature

Readers, Contexts, Communities

Fall Semester 2009

TTh 3:30 – 4:50 PM, Room 305 (English/Philosophy Bldg)

Professor Jennifer Snead Phone: 742-2500, ex.256

Department of English Email: jennifer.snead@ttu.edu

Texas Tech University Office hours: Th 12:00 – 3 PM

Office: Room 204 www.faculty.english.ttu.edu/snead

Course Description

This course is a survey of British literature written between 1660 and 1800, spanning a broad variety of authors and genres. Throughout the semester, we'll read poetry, prose, drama, and instances of that upstart genre, the novel. During the Restoration and the eighteenth century in Britain, literacy and the market for the printed word vastly increased; our focus throughout the semester will be on how readers and writers defined or attempted to define themselves against the backdrop of this rapidly expanding audience and market for print. We will investigate how the material forms of print and books might have affected or determined their content, through our use of Texas Tech's Rare Books and Special Collections and of the ECCO database. Along the way we'll also discuss how each of the texts we read fits in to current scholarly conversations and debates about eighteenth century British literature and culture.

Required Texts (all books available at the TTU Bookstore & the Varsity Bookstore)

The Broadview Anthology of British Literature, Vol. 3: The Restoration and The Eighteenth Century

Samuel Richardson, Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded (Oxford World's

Classics, ed. Thomas Keymer and Alice Wakely, 2001)

William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lyrical Ballads, eds.

Gamer and Porter (Broadview, 2009).

Other short texts and articles to be distributed in class or posted online

Expected learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students should be able to identify, discuss, and give examples of the common forms and genres of literature written during the Restoration and eighteenth century in Britain, including but not limited to the following: drama, mock-epic, heroic couplets, periodical essays, the novel. They should have a basic understanding of the historical, cultural, intellectual, and ideological contexts that gave rise to and nurtured these forms and genres, with a more specific understanding of the ways that the emerging technology of print and the growing audience of readers influenced those forms and genres. They should also be conversant with the major issues of current scholarly discourse surrounding the period, including but not limited to questions of gender, public vs. private spheres, secularization, the growth of print culture, sentiment and sensibility, and the rise of the novel. In addition, students completing this course should be able to identify and use library resources for primary research connected with the period (including Special Collections, the database ECCO, etc.).

Methods of Assessment of Learning Outcomes

The above outcomes will be assessed via student performance in the following areas: class discussion and participation; in-class writing assignments or quizzes; weekly response papers; midterm examination, Special Collections assignment; one final research paper.

Assignments

I do not give extensions for any assignments, including papers. For every day an assignment is late, I will take off one-half a letter grade (i.e. a B paper will become a B-, an A paper an A-, and so on). I will not accept late response papers – you'll simply receive a zero on that week's response if you do not hand it in on time. All deadlines are listed in the course syllabus; budget your time wisely, and plan ahead. If you have difficulty getting your work finished on time, the university has many resources for helping students with time management, study skills, etc. Feel free to check in with me about how you can access those resources. One in particular that I'll mention here is the University Writing Center (UWC), a one-on-one, free tutoring center right here in this very building (Room 175) where you can get another set of eyes to look over your writing before you turn it in to me. I highly recommend you take advantage of this resource, either online at english.ttu.edu/uwc01/, or by making a phone appointment (742-2476), or by simply walking in.

I expect that you'll take pride in your work, and that its appearance will reflect that pride. Spell-check and grammar-check your papers, and become familiar with a dictionary. Please type your all of your written assignments in a 12-point font (I prefer Times New Roman), double-space them, and use one-inch margins on the sides. Number your pages and staple them all together; be sure your name is on the first page, along with the course number and title. A running header or footer with your last name is also a good idea. You must properly cite any sources used in your papers using MLA style (you can access the MLA Handbook For Writers of Research Papers online or buy a hard copy at the bookstore. Failure to document or acknowledge your sources is not only bad scholarship, it's also a serious academic infraction.

A word on plagiarism and cheating: both are unacceptable, and university disciplinary procedures will be strictly enforced should either arise. If you engage in academic dishonesty, wittingly or unwittingly, it could lead to expulsion from Texas Tech University, so be sure to familiarize yourself with the definitions of and policies surrounding plagiarism and cheating in your Student Handbook. If you ever have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism, please discuss them with me during my office hours before you hand in the work in question.

If you have a documented disability that might affect your coursework in any way, please come to see me early in the semester so we can discuss any accommodations you might need. To quote the department of Student Disability Services, "students should present appropriate verification from Student Disability Services during the instructor's office hours. Please note instructors are not allowed to provide classroom accommodations to a student until appropriate verification from Student Disability Services has been provided. For additional information, you may contact the Student Disability Services office at 335 West Hall or 806-742-2405."

Response papers: On Tuesday of each week (with a few exceptions) you'll be expected to hand in a 2-3 page written response to some aspect of that week's reading assignment. No summaries or evaluations – instead, you must close read one or two passages from the reading and analyze those passages based on your close-reading. Each of your weekly response papers will receive a check, a check-plus, or a check-minus. Roughly these nonletter evaluations mean the following: if you receive a check, you've done exactly what the response paper assignment asked you to do: dwell for 2-3 pages on a specific passage in that week's assigned readings, performing a close reading on that passage and then concluding by gesturing towards why your close reading might be important to an understanding of that text as a whole. Check response papers exhibit correct spelling and grammar, and use complete sentences. They must also be correctly cited (use MLA style). A check-minus means that your response paper has failed to come up to the check standard (above). Check-pluses are reserved for response papers that demonstrate significant effort and original thought, within the page limit. You are required to hand in a total of 9 response papers for the semester – this means that you can skip one at your own discretion. Just let me know it's your chosen free week on the day that paper is due. You might also consider writing and handing in 10 response papers, and then choosing one for me to not count towards your total response paper grade. At the end of the semester, I will total up your combined response paper scores and assign that total a letter grade, between A and F. If you get a check on every single response paper, but no check-pluses or check-minuses, your total response paper grade will be a B (above average).

For more details on how to write a good response paper, go to the "Weekly Response Papers" link on my website.

Special Collections assignment: On a date to be determined, we'll be visiting the Special Collections library for a brief overview of its contents and a tutorial on how to read eighteenth-century books. Then you will be sent into Special Collections on your own for a specific research-and-writing assignment on specific texts in Texas Tech's collection, due on Tuesday, November 21. Your Special Collections paper will receive a letter grade, based on how well you have fulfilled the criteria and checklist for that assignment. You can find the directions, guidelines, and criteria under the "Special Collections Paper" link on my website.

Final paper (10-12 pages; due on December 10): Feel free to use one or two of your weekly response papers as a germ for the longer paper, or to draw upon your Special Collections assignment, or both. I will be happy to read and comment on rough drafts up until one week before the paper is due; make an appointment or come see me during my office hours.

Your final paper will likewise receive a letter grade, based on the following criteria: it must demonstrate a clear thesis about one (or a combination of) the course readings, within the first paragraph of the paper. It must support that thesis using evidence, in the form of close reading of passages from the text or texts in question. It must also conclude with a restatement of its argument, and some indication of why that argument, overall, might be important to the context of larger issues in the field of eighteenth-century studies. Proper grammar, spelling, and citation of texts go without saying. You may, but are not required to, use secondary sources for each paper. If you do, those sources must be properly identified, quoted, and cited.

I will determine your final grades using the following percentages, with a total of 110%:

Quiz 10%

Class participation: 20%

Response papers (9 total): 20%

Midterm: 20%

Special Collections project: 15%

Final paper: 25%

Course Policies and Student Responsibilities

Attendance

Attendance in this class is mandatory; our discussions during each class session are as crucial to the course as the assigned readings and writing you and your fellow students will be doing outside of class. I expect your regular, punctual attendance and engaged – even enthusiastic – participation in all class discussions and activities. I consider lateness the equivalent of an absence. Absences accrue from the first day of the semester, regardless of the add/drop period. If for any reason you must miss class, know that you are allowed two absences before your final grade is affected. After two absences, each class you miss will reduce your final grade by one half grade (i.e., an A becomes an A-, a B- becomes a C, and so on). If circumstances, such as a family emergency or an extended illness, make a prolonged absence unavoidable, please come and speak with me – in advance if at all possible – so that we can come up with some way to make up your missed class discussions, and make arrangements for turning in your assignments. You are responsible for turning in all assigned work on time, and for obtaining notes and/or assignments from your classmates, not me. If you are involved in a university-sponsored activity that will require you to miss class, come and see me well in advance so that we can discuss this.

Participation

Your engagement and interest in the course texts – and by texts I mean not simply the course's reading assignments but also the writing and the comments and observations of yourself and your fellow students – are absolutely vital to the overall success of this course. For more information on my class participation policy, see the "Class Participation" link on my website.

Remember, too, that the free exchange of ideas is predicated on civility in the classroom: treat your fellow students and their ideas with the same courtesy and consideration you expect from them. I expect that all of us will turn off all cell phones and beepers before class starts (this includes me). If you engage in inappropriate or abusive behavior (including intolerance based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, physical or any other disability), you'll be removed from the course. Further administrative action may also be pursued, so be sure you know and understand the university's policies on acceptable conduct in the classroom (see your Student Handbook for that information).

Schedule of Readings and Assignments

All readings are from the Broadview Anthology, unless otherwise noted.

First day of classes: Thursday, August 27

Swift, "Description of a City Shower," Dryden, "Ode for St. Cecilia's Day"; Hogarth, The Four Times of Day (handouts in class)

Week I: Introductions and contexts

Tuesday, 9/1: Roy Porter, "Contrasts", from English Society in the Eighteenth Century," (handout in class or pdf from website); "Introduction to the Restoration and the Eighteenth Century" (Broadview Anthology, pp. xxix – lxv). BRING HANDOUTS FROM FIRST DAY TO CLASS (Swift, Dryden, Hogarth)

Thursday, 9/3: In-class quiz; continue discussion of readings and first-day handouts.

Week II

Tuesday, 9/8: Response paper 1 due; "Contexts: Mind and God, Faith and Doubt"

Thursday, 9/10: "Mind and God, Faith and Doubt" (cont'd)

Week III

Tuesday, 9/15: Response paper 2 due; Behn, "The Disappointment," "On A Juniper Tree"; Wycherley, The Country Wife

Thursday, 9/17: Rochester (all selections)

Week IV

Tuesday, 9/22: Response paper 3 due; Finch (all selections)

Thursday, 9/24: Astell (all selections)

Week V

Tuesday, 9/29: Response paper 4 due; Swift, "Stella's Birthday"

(both versions), "The Lady's Dressing Room," "Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift," A Modest Proposal and following contextual material

Thursday, 10/1: Addison (all selections)

Week VI

Tuesday, 10/6: Response paper 5 due; Pope (all selections); Prosody lesson

Thursday, 10/8: Pope (cont'd)

Week VII

Tuesday, 10/13: NO CLASS: FALL BREAK

Thursday, 10/15: Haywood, Fantomina

Week VIII

Tuesday, 10/20: Response paper 6 due; Richardson, Pamela (to p.251, "Thus foolishly dialog'd I with my Heart, and yet all the time this Heart is Pamela.")

Thursday, 10/22: MIDTERM EXAMINATION

Week IX

Tuesday, 10/27: Response paper 7 due; Richardson, Pamela (to

top of p.438, "And that he may always be preserved in Honour and Safety!")

Thursday, 10/29: Richardson, Pamela (finish, to p. 503)

Week X

Tuesday, 11/3: Response paper 7 due; Johnson, pages 558-585

Thursday, 11/5: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS VISIT

Week XI

Tuesday, 11/10: Response paper 8 due; Walpole, The Castle of Otranto

Thursday, 11/12: Gray (all selections)

Week XII

Tuesday, 11/17: Response paper 9 due; Cowper (all selections)

Thursday, 11/19: Sheridan, The School for Scandal

Week XIII

Tuesday, 11/24: Special Collections Assignment Due

Thursday, 11/26: THANKSGIVING BREAK – No Class

Week XIV

Tuesday, 12/1: Response paper 10 due; Lyrical Ballads (1798 edition)

Thursday, 12/3: Lyrical Ballads (cont'd)

Week XV

Tuesday, 12/8: LAST DAY OF CLASS

Thursday, 12/10: Final papers due by 5:00 PM