English Literature, 1745–1800

English 326, Spring 2011

Jack Lynch

Course Description

Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 9:00–10:00, and by appointment (appointments are best).

Home: (609) 882-4642 (before 10:00 p.m.!).

E-mail: jlynch @ andromeda.rutgers.edu (the best way to reach me).

Course Requirements

• Written Assignments: There will be two papers, the first of around six pages, the second of around eight pages. (If you assume an average of around 300 words per page — which is what you get with Times New Roman, one-inch margins, and double line spacing — that means 1,800 and 2,400 words respectively.) I don't get too hung up about exact word counts, but you should be in the neighborhood. There are also four short “OED Exercises,” in which you'll provide brief reports of your discoveries in the Oxford English Dictionary (we'll discuss these in class, and you can see examples here).
• Final Exam: A short final examination will include identification of quotations, close reading, and short essays.
• Attendance: Almost any excuse, given in advance (in person, by phone, or by E-mail), will receive my blessing. Absences not excused in advance will be frowned upon, and your final grade will be lowered by half a grade for each unexcused absence. The same policy applies to late papers: I'll grant extensions, but only if you talk to me before the due date.
• Computing: Some essential information will be available only electronically. All students therefore must have an E-mail account by the end of the first week of classes, and must be able to use the World Wide Web.
• Plagiarism: It should go without saying, but all work in this class must be your own. Handing in someone else's work as your own will result in an F for the course with no second chance, and may result in disciplinary action. I encourage you to use outside sources, but you have to cite anything you didn't write yourself. You're responsible for knowing what's plagiarism and what isn't: if you're not sure, start with this handy article. If, after reading that, you have even an inkling of a doubt about what's legitimate or how to cite something, see me before handing in the paper.
• Readings: Seven books —
  • The Longman Anthology of British Literature, 4th ed., vol. 1C (abbreviated L);
  • Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto;
  • Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The School for Scandal;
  • Frances Burney, Evelina;
  • Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman;
  • Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative; and
  • William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
  — are available from New Jersey Books (yay!) and the Rutgers Bookstore (boo!). Another book, James Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson, is optional; all of the required readings from it are also available on-line, so buy the book only if you prefer hard copy to the Web. Many readings will also be available on-line; a few will be available only on-line.

Schedule of Class Meetings

Wed., 19 Jan.

Introduction (class business, &c.).

Mon., 24 Jan.:

Samuel Johnson, selections from A Dictionary of the English Language (L, pp. 2704–10).

Wed., 26 Jan.:

Johnson, selections from The Rambler and The Idler (L, pp. 2687–2703); James Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson, pp. 19–36, 143–63.

Mon., 31 Jan.:

Johnson, The Vanity of Human Wishes, “A Short Song of Congratulation,” and “On the Death of Dr. Robert Levet” (L, pp. 2686–87); Boswell, Life, pp. 118–43, 166–77.

Wed., 2 Feb.:

Johnson, selections from Rasselas (L, pp. 27180–27) and the review of Soame Jenyns (on-line); Boswell, Life, pp. 240–43.

Mon., 7 Feb.:

Johnson, selections from The Plays of William Shakespeare and Lives of the Poets (L, pp. 2727–44).

Wed., 9 Feb.:

Hester Thrale Piozzi, selections Thraliana (on-line); Boswell, Life, pp. 344–53. OED Exercise Due: Three words from Johnson.

Mon., 14 Feb.:

George Berkeley, selections from Three Dialogues (L, pp. 2629–31); David Hume, selections from A Treatise of Human Nature and An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding (L, pp. 2631–37); Boswell, “An Account of My Last Interview with David Hume” (L, pp. 2758–61); Life, pp. 424–28.

Wed., 16 Feb.:

Thomas Gray, “Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College” (L, pp. 2667–69).

Mon., 21 Feb.:

Gray, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard (L, pp. 2670–74); Boswell, Life, pp. 403–11, 590–96.

Wed., 23 Feb.:

Oliver Goldsmith, The Deserted Village (L, pp. 2778–88); George Crabbe, selections from The Village and The Parish Register (L, pp. 2788–90); Boswell, Life, pp. 379–89.

Mon., 28 Feb.:

Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto; Boswell, Life, pp. 411–24. OED Exercise Due: Three words from Hume, Gray, Goldsmith, or Crabbe.

Wed., 2 March:

Walpole, The Castle of Otranto; Boswell, Life, pp. 732–48.

Mon., 7 March:

Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The School for Scandal, Acts I–III; Boswell, Life, pp. 272–307.

Wed., 9 March:

Sheridan, The School for Scandal, Acts IV–V; Boswell, Life, pp. 764–76.

Mon., 14 March:

No Class: Spring Break.

Wed., 16 March:

No Class: Spring Break.

Mon., 21 March:

James Macpherson, selections from “A Dissertation concerning the Antiquity, &c. of the Poems of Ossian the Son of Fingal” (on-line); Thomas Chatterton, “Mynstrelles Songe” (on-line); Boswell, Life, pp. 579–82. OED Exercise Due: Three words from Walpole or Sheridan.

Wed., 23 March:

William Henry Ireland, An Authentic Account of the Shaksperian Manuscripts (on-line); Boswell, Life, pp. 827–35. First Paper Due.

Mon., 28 March:

Frances Burney, Evelina, volume 1; Boswell, Life, pp. 181–89, 209–16.

Wed., 30 March:

Burney, Evelina, volume 2; Boswell, Life, pp. 596–603, 1234–37.

Mon., 4 April:

Burney, Evelina, volume 3; Boswell, Life, pp. 686–701.

Wed., 6 April:

Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Dedication, Introduction, and chapters 1, 2, 4, and 7; Boswell, Life, pp. 1203–19. OED Exercise Due: Three words from Burney.

Mon., 11 April:

Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, chapters 9, 11, 12, and 13; Boswell, Life, pp. 1275–1304.

Wed., 13 April:

Olaudah Equiano, Narrative, chapters 1–6; Boswell, Life, pp. 876–86.

Mon., 18 April:

Equiano, Narrative, chapters 7–12; Boswell, Life, pp. 538–43.

Wed., 20 April:

Christopher Smart, selection from Jubilate Agno (L, pp. 2637–41); William Cowper, “Light Shining out of Darkness,” selections from The Task, “The Cast-Away” (L, pp. 2641–45); Boswell, Life, pp. 43–97.

Mon., 25 April:

William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell; Boswell, Life, pp. 105–7.

Wed., 27 April:

Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell; Boswell, Life, pp. 1374–1402.

Mon., 2 May:

Conclusion. Second Paper Due.