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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "EN 231"
COURSE NAME: "English Literature II: The Enlightenment to Romanticism"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall 2025
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Alessandra Grego
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: TTH 1:30 PM 2:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: EN 110 with a grade of C or above
OFFICE HOURS:
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
A continuation of the survey begun in EN 230, this course deals with works by major British writers in the period 1660 to 1832. Approximately equal attention is devoted to writers of the Restoration (excluding Milton) and 18th century, and to writers of the Romantic Movement. This is a reading and writing intensive course. Students in 200-level literature classes are required to produce 4-5,000 words of critical writing.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

This course covers the period in British history from the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 through to a return to the idea of revolution at the end of the 18th century; from the reinstatement of the rights of the king to the formulation of the rights of man -- and woman. The Enlightenment, the scientific revolution, colonial expansion and the early stages of industrialization are reflected, critiqued, and debated in the literature of the time as writers respond to the political, religious, economic and aesthetic interests of their cultural moment. 
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students will gain a good basic grounding in the literature of the period from 1660 to 1832,  as well as the historical moment out of which it emerged. They will learn to be attentive to literature as a production of a particular set of cultural factors and historical events. Students will develop critical faculties and sensitivities to language and its meanings and will develop their writing skills as well as their ability to produce effective oral presentations.
TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
The Cambridge History of English Literature, 1660–1780. Richetti, John - EditorCambridge University Press; 2005 9781139053877 Available from the Frohring LibraryEbook  
The Cambridge History of English Romantic LiteratureChandler, J - editorCambridge University Press; 2009. 9781139053877 Available from the Frohring LibraryEbook  
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
First Home Paper2000 word research paper 20%
Midterm examPassages for identification and comment20%
2nd Home Paper2000 word research paper25%
Presentation Oral presentation15%
Final examPassages for identification and comment20%
   

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused . Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until December 12, 2025.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
SCHEDULE
SessionSession FocusReading AssignmentOther AssignmentMeeting Place/Exam Dates
week 1Introduction to the Course and Requirements Civil War and its fall-out - The historical context and the rise of the book trade. Raven J. "Publishing and bookselling 1660–1780." In: Richetti 11-36. and O’Brien K. "History and literature 1660–1780. "In Richetti 363-390.   
week 2Christian Allegory: Pilgrim's Progress From This World to That Which Is To Come The Popish Plot and the meaning of the Biblical references in “Absalom and Achitophel”; Aphra Behn OrinoocoJohn Bunyan selection from The Pilgrim’s Progress  
week 3Robinson Crusoe: Capitalism, Imperialism and the Rise of the NovelDaniel Defoe Selections from "Robinson Crusoe" and "Moll Flanders" Warner W. "Novels on the market." In: Richetti 87-106.  
week 4Rakes and Sluts? Women's sexual and litearary reputation. Eliza Haywood's FantominaE.Haywood, "Fantomina." Aphra Behn, "Disappointment."First Home Paper due 
week 5Satire and social mores. Hogarth's modern moral subjects.Selections from Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea; Mary Astell's "A Serious Proposal to the Ladies" and "Reflections Upon Marriage"; Lady Mary Wortley Montagu "The Reasons that Induced Dr. S to Write a Poem Called the Lady's Dressing Room"; Jonathan Swift's "The Lady's Dressing Room,""Epistle from Mrs. Yonge to her Husband," and "The Spectator No. 573".  
week 6Political references in Gulliver's Travels. Who was Walpole and how did he change English government? Slavery and the Anti-Slavery Movement in Britain Olaudah Equiano’s The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano(Restoration Anthology) Mary Prince The History of Mary Prince A West Indian Slave Related by Herself(Romantics Anthology) Jonathan Swift Selection from Gulliver's Travels   
week 7Satire and lyrical poetry. Alexander Pope "The Rape of the Lock" Read selections from Anna Laetitia Barbauld "The Rights of Women", "Washing Day," "Eighteen Hundred and Eleven, A Poem"; Charlotte Smith "Beachy Head"; Mary Wollstonecraft "Maria or the Wrongs of Women"; Felicia Hemans "The Homes of England," "Women and Fame"; Mary Robinson "A Letter to the Women of England," "The Negro Girl"; Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L.E.L.) "Love's Last Lesson". Hunter J. "Political, satirical, didactic and lyric poetry: from the Restoration to the death of Pope." in Richetti 160-208. Backscheider P. "Eighteenth-century women poets." In: Richetti 209-234.MIDTERM EXAM 
Week 8Land Enclosures and what was their social impact on the changing social landscape of 18th century Britain? Labouring class poets Stephen Duck, Mary Collier, Mary Leapor and Elizabeth Hands Robert Burns "To a Mouse," "A Man's a Man for A' That," "Robert Bruce's March to Bannockburn," A Red, Red Rose," "Auld Lang Syne" Cowper from The Task Book 1: The Sofa Oliver Goldsmith "The Deserted Village" Thomas Gray "Elegy on a Country Churchyard"   
week 9The Gothic NovelSelections from "The Castle of Otranto." Castle T. The Gothic novel. In: Richetti J, ed. The Cambridge History of English Literature, 1660–1780. The New Cambridge History of English Literature. Cambridge University Press; 2005:673-706.  
week 10William Blake "Songs of Innocence and Experience" Background Reading: French Revolution and Napoleonic Era (Website) View excerpt from Simon Schama's History of Britain series: Forces of Nature Selected poems from "Song of Innocence and Experience" and "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell."   
week 11Political prose and the Spirit of RevolutionMary Wollstonecraft Read selections from "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" De Bruyn F. "Burke and the uses of eloquence: political prose in the 1770s and 1780s. "In: Richetti 768-794.   
week 12Coleridge and Wordsworth: Lyrical Ballads and the spirit of romanticism Coileridge: "Rime of the Ancient Mariner"; "Frost at Midnight." Wordsworth: "Tintern Abbey"; "Michael";"Ode: Intimations of Immortality"; "My heart leaps up"   
Week 13John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley and the spirit of the age The Peterloo Massacre and what it meant in terms of shifting political and class relations Read Selections from John Keats: "La Belle Dame San Merci," "Eve of St. Agnes," "Ode on a Grecian Urn," "Ode to a Nightingale," "To Autumn," "Ode on Melancholy" Percy Bysshe Shelley "Mask of Anarchy" "Adonais"  
week 14Lord Byron and other romantics - passion, war, and excess: deflating romantic pretensions Mary Shelley's response to male creativity: FrankensteinLord Byron: selecitons from "Don Juan" Mary Shelley: "Frankenstein."  
week 14Mary Shelley: Frankenstein   
week 15Final Research Paper due