
The purpose of this course is to give you extensive
exposure to four important works from the British Romantic Period: Wordsworth &
Coleridge's Lyrical Ballads (1798 and 1800), Byron's Don Juan
(1819-1824), Keats's Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes, and other Poems
(1820), and Hemans's Records of Woman With Other Poems (1828). 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 poetry into a cohesive category and be able
to question this cohesion;
- link works to important
biographical features of individual writer's lives;
- connect individual poems to
historical and cultural events that helped shape the period; and
- get a sense of 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 novel. 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. On some days we will have large group
discussions, on others we will work in small groups. We might also view films,
do informal writing, have some semi-formal debates, or view presentations. I
welcome suggestions on pedagogical activities that might help you learn more or
better.
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. Each
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. |