ENGL3xx-02 Connections in Modern Literature: Romantics and Victorians MF 2-340PM 119 Welles • Dr.
William Harrison • Department of English • 232A Welles • 245-5273 (dept.) -5299 (office) • MW 1:00-2:00
PM and by appt.; scheduled meetings preferred • harrison@geneseo.edu
Required texts: (As listed at books.geneseo.edu)
The Broadview Anthology of British Literature: Concise Volume B. The Age of Romanticism, The Victorian
Era, The Twentieth Century and Beyond. Ed. Joseph Black et al. 2007 pap. 9781551118697
William Beckford. Vathek. 1786. Ed. Roger H. Lonsdale. Oxford U P, 2008. 9780199537228
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. NY MLA, 2009. 9781603290241
PDF ebooks on mycourses:
Thomas Love Peacock. The Four Ages of Poetry. 1820. Peacock's "Four Ages of Poetry," Shelley's "Defense
of Poetry," Browning's "Essay on Shelley." Ed. H.F.B. Brett-Smith. NY: Houghton Mifflin, 1921. 3-19.
Thomas Hardy. The Romantic Adventures of a Milkmaid. 1883. "A Changed Man," "The Waiting Supper,"
and Other Tales Concluding with "The Romantic Adventures of a Milkmaid." London: Macmillan, 1915.
309-413. PDF.
About the class: A study of selected Anglophone literary texts written between 1660 and 1900 focusing on the
dynamic relationship between individual works and the broader culture from which they emerge. The course
emphasizes historical, political and social events through which this literature was produced; the development of
genres and poetics over time; and important changes in language. Representative offerings include: Poetry of the
Augustan Age; Victorian Comedy; Literature of 19th Century Social Reform; Napoleon in British Literature;
Antebellum Literature; Silver Fork Fiction; Virtual Thoreau; Transatlantic Romantic Prose. (May be taken for
credit twice under different sub- titles.) This course fulfills the major requirement for “Recent” literature. Offered
at least once a year.
The century of literature we will read is one of the most familiar to 20th-century readers, and these writers and
works have had immense influence on our understanding of what literature is and how it is produced. The
Romantics define our concepts artistic inspiration and the truth-claims literature often makes. The Victorians not
only crystallized the novel's (and therefore prose fiction's) position as a preeminent literary genre but broadened
literature's sense of scope, encompassing both individual and empire. In this way, all of the works we read in fact
have helped to construct our own idea of cultural modernity.
Intended Learning Outcomes
Students who have completed English 3xx will demonstrate:
• an understanding of British literature in the period covered (roughly 1780 to the present) in relation to British
history, including literary history;
• knowledge of the individual writers and works on the syllabus;
• the ability to analyze and interpret individual works of literature using appropriate evidence, conventions, and
critical terminology;
• the ability to write persuasively about literature, adhering to principles of logic and conventions of Standard
English usage.
Student who complete all 300-level classes will demonstrate:
• the ability to read texts in relation to history
• an understanding of how texts are related to social and cultural categories (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality,
class, ability), enterprises (e.g. philosophy, science, politics), and institutions (e.g., of religion, of
education).
• an understanding of how language as a system and linguistic change over time inform literature as aesthetic
object, expressive medium, and social document
Students who complete any section of ENGL3xx will:
ENGL213 Syllabus, Page 2
• be able to identify and negotiate issues and problems related to the interpretation of the novels listed on the
syllabus;
• be able to present literary research and analysis collaboratively in a range of written and oral contexts;
• be able to discuss and debate literary texts and issues while respecting the other members of the class and their
perspectives;
• be able to demonstrate the understanding and ability described above in an advanced essay of literary analysis that
uses and properly acknowledges secondary sources.
This course fulfills the following departmental 300-level outcomes.
• ability to read texts in relation to history
• understanding of how texts are related to social and cultural categories (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality,
class, ability), enterprises (e.g. philosophy, science, politics), and institutions (e.g., of religion, of education).
• understanding of how language as a system and linguistic change over time inform literature as aesthetic object,
expressive medium, and social document
Class expectations: Students are expected to complete all assigned readings, attend each class, and to arrive
prepared: bring your book(s) to class. Students must participate in class discussion and will be called upon to
respond to class discussion and questions; however, students should demonstrate self-motivated class engagement.
Students are responsible for noting any changes in this document as announced by the instructor.
All work is due on the dates assigned; no late work will be accepted without prior approval. No make-up exams or
work will be scheduled. Missing exams and assignments will receive a point value of 0% and averaged. Instructor
may also consider overall class participation and engagement in determining final grade.
Students are expected be able to successfully upload their material to mycourses. Much of your course feedback,
both quantitative and qualitative, will be made either through the many mycourses evaluation tools or via Microsoft
Word's comment tool. The latest version of Office is available via the college at <software.geneseo.edu>.
Students are expected to follow the college's code of conduct as detailed at
<https://www.geneseo.edu/handbook/policies_procedures#studentcodeofconduct>. The material prohibiting
"cheating" and "plagiarism" particularly are relevant for and enforced in this class.
Class requirements:
There are a total of five grades for the class.
• 1 mid-term exam [1 grade]
• 1 final exam [1 grade]
• 1 6-to-8 page paper [1 grade]
• Class participation [1 grade]
• Annotated bibliography entries (40%), group criticism presentation (40%), and other assignments as noted
(20%)[1 grade]
Exam formats
Exams require you to bring a blue book to the exam period. They are available for purchase at the college bookstore
and the Milne library. The exams are generally in essay format; you may have more than one prompt from which to
choose. There will be two exams, a midterm and a final. Our scheduled final exam period is B2, Friday, May 10,
330-630PM.
Essay
A longer (about 1500-2200 word) essay assignment will be distributed during the last month of class.
Group Presentations
There are two group presentations for this class. This is a ten-minute group assignment, the basics of which are
ENGL213 Syllabus, Page 3
explained below. It is assumed that everyone in your group will participate at every level. If provided with enough
time, I can help your group with the distribution of any necessary materials or handouts (if needed). The group as a
whole receives a single grade for each presentation. The group is evaluated on: 1. the quality, validity, and
appropriateness of the chosen aspects, components, or materials discussed; 2. the quality of the analysis presented;
and 3. the overall engagement and clarity of the presentation. There may be an aspect of peer-review available as
well.
Apart from the actual presentation, your other, individual responsibility is to complete and submit a short, informal,
paragraph-length description of the group’s deliberations and decision making process and what part you played in
the group. Please submit this paragraph, via mycourses, on the day of your presentation.
Details concerning the specific group membership and the chapters, sections, or books assigned to each group will
be provided later in the semester. Please feel free to enquire concerning these details at any time.
It is in your best interest to read all period and author introductions in the Broadview anthology.
Class schedule:
Date
January
W 23
Reading assignment
Introduction. William Beckford: Vathek, 1-60.
M 28
drop/add
William Beckford: Vathek, 61-120.
W 30
Anna Letitia Barbauld: "Eighteen Hundred and Eleven, a poem"
(33-8).
William Blake: From Songs of Innocence and Songs of
Experience (42-50).
February
M4
W6
M 11
W 13
Other assignments
Mary Wollstonecraft: A Vindication. . . (64-81).
William Wordsworth: Assorted poetry and prose (113-30), "The Bring completed Wordsworth
world is too much with us" (142). Presentation 1: Vathek. exercise to class.
Samuel Coleridge: "Frost at Midnight" (180-1), assorted poetry Complete the mycourses activity
for Disraeli, Sybil, Book 1 (1-42)
and prose (205-21). Presentation 2: Blake.
by this date.
M 18
Thomas Peacock: The Four Ages of Poetry. This reading is
available on mycourses.
Bring completed Peacock exercise
to class.
W 20
Lord Byron: Don Juan, Cantos 1 & 2 (316-62) Presentation 3:
Wordsworth.
Percy Bysshe Shelley: "To Wordsworth" (371), "Mutability"
(381; 399), "Song to the Men of England" (401-2), "A Defense
of Poetry" (402-10).
John Keats: "On Seeing Elgin Marbles" (429), "Ode to a
Nightingale" (441-2), "Ode on Melancholy" (443-4), Letters
(455-67). Presentation 4: Coleridge.
Keats, cont. Thomas De Quincey: From Confessions of an
Opium Eater (248-62). Thomas Carlyle: Past and Present (551-
Complete the mycourses activity
for Disraeli, Sybil, Book 2 (42-139)
by this date.
Annotated bibliography entries
due.
M 25
W 27
March
M4
ENGL213 Syllabus, Page 4
69). Presentation 5: Keats.
W6
Benjamin Disraeli, Sybil (139-243).
M 11
Midterm exam. Bring a blue book.
W 13
Benjamin Disraeli: Sybil (243-322).
M 18-W 20 Spring Break. No class meetings.
M 25
W 27
April
M1
W3
M8
W 10
M 15
W 17
M 22
W 24
M 29
May
W1
M6
Benjamin Disraeli: Sybil (322-422).
Alfred, Lord Tennyson: "Locksley Hall" (650-5), "The
Woman's Cause is Man's" (657-8).
Charles Dickens: Two sketches (735-43).
George Eliot: Poems and Selections from Adam Bede (752-9).
Matthew Arnold: "Isolation; To Maugerite--Cont." (775-6),
"Dover Beach" (785), Selection from The Function of Criticism
(786-94).
Dante Rossetti: assorted poetry (797-806).
Christina Rossetti: "Goblin Market." (810-8).
Gerard Manley Hopkins: assorted poetry (870-79).
Thomas Hardy: Romantic Adventures of a Milkmaid, 309-66.
Thomas Hardy, Romantic Adventures of a Milkmaid, 366-413.
Essay assignment distributed.
Bring completed Arnold exercise
to class.
Essay progress sheet due.
Essay due.
Thomas Hardy: "The Son's Veto" (853-60), "The Ruined Maid"
(863), "Channel Firing" (864-5), "The Convergence of the
Twain" (864). Rudyard Kipling: "The White Man's Burden";
"If. . . " (966-7).
Oscar Wilde: The Importance of Being Earnest (902-33).
Oscar Wilde: The Importance of Being Earnest (902-33).
I. On Class Participation
Class participation includes attendance and preparation, along with active participation in class and in small group
work. Class participation means that you work actively to stretch yourself intellectually; by doing so you work
actively to contribute to the class's overall movement. Ideally, over time, we all will move from merely stating a
position during class discussion to striving to promote dialogue between everyone in the class.
The following criteria help to determine your participation grade. The criteria focus on what you demonstrate and
do not presume to guess at what you necessarily know. Why? Because part of what discussion can produce is a
different method of understanding the material--that is the process itself leads to a pedagogical end. Generally, the
average level of participation satisfies the criteria for a "C+."
A. Demonstrates excellent preparation: has analyzed reading exceptionally well, relating it to other material (e.g.,
readings, lecture, course material, discussions, experiences, etc.).
• Offers analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of reading, e.g., puts together pieces of discussion and lecture to
develop new approaches that take the class further.
• Contributes in a very significant way to ongoing discussion: keeps analysis focused, responds very
thoughtfully to other students’ comments, contributes to the cooperative argument building, suggests alternative
ways of approaching material and helps class analyze which approaches are appropriate, etc.
• Demonstrates active involvement, ideally at every class meeting.
B. Demonstrates good preparation: knows reading well, has thought through implications of reading.
• Offers interpretations and analysis of the reading (more than just the facts) to class.
• Contributes well to discussion in an ongoing way: responds to other students' points, thinks through own
ENGL213 Syllabus, Page 5
points, questions others in a constructive way, offers and supports suggestions that may be counter to the
majority opinion.
• Demonstrates consistent ongoing involvement.
C. Demonstrates adequate preparation: knows basic reading facts, but does not show evidence of trying to interpret,
analyze, or connect them to other aspects of the class.
• Does not offer to contribute to discussion, but contributes to a moderate degree when called on.
• Demonstrates sporadic involvement.
D. Present, not disruptive.
• Tries to respond when called on but does not offer much.
• Demonstrates infrequent involvement in discussion.
F or E. Not present.
Frequently stated, but generally unsatisfactory, reasons for your lack of participation:
• “Shyness.”
If this is you, feel free to come see me so we can work out strategies for getting you involved.
• Thinking that “this conversation is shallow/obvious/stupid.”
If you think the conversation needs more depth, redirect it.
• Fearing that you’ll offend someone because of their gender/race/ethnicity/sexuality/religion/etc.
It’s good to be sensitive to others’ feelings. But silence is not an option. You must learn to to voice your
thoughts.
• Thinking, “I can’t say anything profound, so I’ll be quiet.”
If this is you, start small. Answer a factual question I ask, or add on to someone else’s comment, e.g. “I agree
with Sarah and there’s another example of that on page 67.”
• Thinking that “I just like to listen.”
Being actively involved can profoundly change your experience of a class. The rest of us are working hard to
build readings of these texts and would love your help. Carry your weight.
Some students will sometimes attempt to shield themselves with these claims and ruses to mask a general lack of
preparedness or engagement with the material. That is, of course, unacceptable, and it is usually obvious when one
does so.
II. Group presentations
There will be five or six groups for this assignment, as noted later. Each group will be responsible, as scheduled, for
a ten minute presentation on the assigned topic including a handout distributed (by email and/or mycourses) to the
class. Each group will receive written feedback concerning their presentation.
The presentations deal with critical material already available on mycourses: two critical articles on an author (and
his or her works) that we have encountered in our class readings. For these presentations, the group should read all
the available material (depending on the amount and length of the reading) and provide the connections suggested
by the topic. While this material is available to the class as a whole to read and discuss, the group should not
assume that everyone will be prepared to do so. Connections to our class literary readings are appreciated and
necessary, as noted by the topics. The group should email the presentation handout to me by 9AM on the day of the
presentation at the latest. Please make sure that your handout provides a bibliography or source list for the class's
reference.
Presentations
Presentation 1. Monday, February 11. Report and Analysis: Two of the critical articles on Vathek as found in the
Romanticism mycourses folder. Explain their arguments, and evaluate their accuracy and worth as best you
can. How do the articles change your (abbreviated) reading of the novel (or not)?
Presentation 2. Wednesday, February 13. Report and Analysis: Two of the critical articles on Blake as found in
the Romanticism mycourses folder. Explain their arguments, and evaluate their accuracy and worth as best
ENGL213 Syllabus, Page 6
you can. How do the articles change your (abbreviated) reading of the novel (or not)?
Presentation 3. Wednesday, February 20. Report and Analysis: Report and Analysis: Two of the critical articles
on Wordsworth as found in the Romanticism mycourses folder. Explain their arguments, and evaluate their
accuracy and worth as best you can. How do the articles change your reading of Wordsworth's poetry
and/or criticism (or not)?
Presentation 4. Wednesday, February 27. Report and Analysis: Report and Analysis: Two of the critical articles
on Coleridge as found in the Romanticism mycourses folder. Explain their arguments, and evaluate their
accuracy and worth as best you can. How do the articles change your reading of Coleridge's poetry and/or
criticism (or not)?
Presentation 5. Monday, March 4. Report and Analysis: Report and Analysis: Two of the critical articles on
Keats as found in the Romanticism mycourses folder. Explain their arguments, and evaluate their accuracy
and worth as best you can. How do the articles change your reading of Keats's poetry and/or criticism (or
not)?
Note the college's General Education rubric for "Oral Discourse" below. Evaluation will be based on these criteria.