The purpose of this course is to give you exposure to important literary works from the Romantic Period (from around 1789-1832 for our purposes) in Great Britain .  We will explore the works in terms of the lives of the authors, the circumstances of publication, the history and culture of the period, and formally as works of art.  By the end of the course, I hope that you can:

• read poetry closely so that you can use evidence and explanation to argue effectively for your particular reading(s) in writing and orally;
• discuss the aesthetic and thematic features that unify some works into a cohesive category and be able to question this cohesion;
• link works to important biographical features of individual writer's lives;
• connect individual works to historical and cultural events that helped shape the period; and
• explain how romantic poetry fits into the spectrum of literary history. 

My teaching methods are student-centered.  I will very rarely lecture.  As you will soon discover, I don’t claim to have all the answers.  I have more experience reading than you, but I continue to learn and experience new pleasures every time I read or reread a work.  As the course progresses I hope to learn from you just as you learn from each other and me. To facilitate this mutual learning, I have designed this class to be student-driven.  Because the class is small, you will need to be especially well-prepared to participate in the discussion which will drive our course--this means you will need to have read the works carefully, formulated your own questions about the works, developed tentative theories about how the works operate and what they mean, and begun to connect the readings of the day to previous works we have discussed. 

Attendance: Your participation in this course is essential, and as a result, so is attendance.  You are allowed to miss three class periods without penalty.  A subsequent absence after three will result in W or WF in the class.  Your three absences are to be used for the inevitable doctor’s visits, illnesses, sports events, court appointments, and funerals that may come up during the term. Extraordinary circumstances will be dealt with on a one-to-one basis. If you plan to be absent, tell me beforehand, so you can submit work ahead of time.  I do not accept late work.