English
7633: Seminar in Nineteenth-Century
British Literature: British Romanticism,
Gothic Literature, and the Question of Parody
D. H. Thomson: dhthom@georgiasouthern.edu
Course description (including
outcomes) . . . required texts . . . group
presentations . . . weekly schedule of readings and
assignments . . . grading
Features
of Romantic, Gothic, and Satiric Writing
(the group presentations)
Course description :
Critics have long read the emergence of Romantic poetry and aesthetics
in opposition to, on the one hand, the darker and more sensational brands of
Gothic literature and, on the other, the more skeptical and sophisticated
strains of satiric writing. Defined as a
“counter-satiric” form of writing, Romanticism values sincerity,
genuineness, solitude, naturalness, and
prophetic inspiration. Opposing what
Wordsworth calls the Gothic’s “degrading thirst for outrageous stimulation,”
Romanticism values simplicity, domestic affection, and meditative
tranquility. Recent re-evaluations of
the Romantic era have stressed the almost inevitable: while defining their practice in opposition
to Gothicism and Satire, many Romantic writers borrow from and participate in
these very same genres. Our new
appreciation for Romantic parody provides this seminar with a guiding pattern
for a study of these canon-formations
and deformations. Parody, in the words
of Linda Hutcheon, is “repetition with a critical distance,” a strategic and
creative maneuver that can embrace at once replication and criticism, tribute
and satiric deflation. We will study
this give-and-take in both major and minor writers of the era.
Course
outcomes. Students will
·
Gain an
in-depth critical knowledge of selected major and minor literary works from
1780-1825;
·
Understand
the relationship between the various literary modes of Romantic poetry,
literary Gothicism, and satire;
·
Relate
literary developments to the political and material conditions of the period;
·
Develop
skills in literary research and oral presentations of information gained from
research;
·
Write a
critical paper that applies the insights gained from study to a specific
literary work or critical issue.
Norton
Anthology of English Literature: The Romantic Period (Volume 5).
Ed. Jack Stillinger and M.H. Abrams.
Also see Norton
On-line
Jane Austen:
Northanger Abbey (on order)
(frequent reading assignments from web
resources are listed in the weekly schedule below)
1/10 Introduction to the course
1/17
Blake, Songs of Innocence and Experience. Begin The
Marriage of Heaven and Hell
1/24 Group presentations: where does Blake fit so far?
1/31 Group presentations; Blake: The
Marriage of Heaven and Hell; from “America: A
Prophecy;” “Visions of the Daughters
of Albion.”
2/7, 2/14 Romanticism,
Gothicism, and Satire in the 1790’s:
WW: 219-302; STC: 419-461, 477-488. Poetry of the Anti-Jacobin (selections
forthcoming). Gothic balladry: Bürger’s Ballads; M.G. Lewis:
Tales of Wonder;
Anonymous: selections from Tales of Terror. 2/14: first exam topics, format due.
2/21 close study of three or four poems that continue the
discussion: Kim:
Coleridge, “France: An
Ode;” Bland: “Introductory Dialogue”:
from Tales of Terror (1801); Marsh: Blake’s annotations to Wordsworth’s Poems (1815) and The Excursion (Jeffrey will supply a handout of these); Jones:
2/28 exam; a Gothic evening
3/7 close
study of three or four poems that continue the discussion
3/21 finish-up
study of Romantic, Gothic, and Satiric relationships for the first generation
(1785-1810). Critical paper topics due
(a one page prospectus with at least 5 critical sources). A Romantic evening?
Romanticism,
Gothic Literature, and the Question of Parody:
the Second Generation
3/28 Byron,
the Shelleys, and Polidori: the
Ghost-Story Telling Contest: Frankenstein
(903-1033); Polidori: The Vampyre. (Especially for those who have read
Frankenstein, see Mary Shelley’s “Transformation.”)
4/4 Finish
up discussion from 3/28. Shelley: "The
Wandering Jew's Soliloquy"; "Ghasta, or The Avenging
Demon!!!", "Hymn to
Intellectual Beauty". Selections from Hellas
4/11 Byron,
Manfred; Don Juan I and XVI.
Letters: 689-697.
4/18 Catch-up
or class off to work on critical papers (maybe conferences?)
4/25 Austen:
Northanger Abbey
5/2 Critical
Paper due.
Study / Lead Discussion
Groups
Key notes on the in-class
presentations:
·
Group presentations should fairly soon
advance beyond the suggested “Beginning resource,” ideally by the first
presentation (1/24) but certainly by the second;
·
Groups should present via e-mail
bibliographical details of all works cited in their presentations; these will
be posted to the class webpage;
·
For “close study
of three or four poems that continue the discussion,” each individual of
the group will provide his or her own poem and interpretation; extra-credit
(and esteem) will be accorded those who choose poems outside the Norton antho.;
·
Each group will provide a one-hour exam, in
consultation with the instructor, to be administered to peers on 2/28, to be
followed, hopefully not too appropriately, by a Gothic evening of
poetry-reading and socializing (details tba).
[note:
Blair Bland, whose M.A. thesis involves all three historical and generic
fields, will rotate among the groups]
Topics to be covered color coded: 1/24 . .
. 1/31 . . . 2/14, 21
High Romanticism: 7 basic features of Romantic
aesthetics, with 3 examples of poetry or prose that, in total, represent all 7
features (handout); how those features play into and against the political
climate; close
study of three or four poems that continue the discussion. (members: Jannie,
·
Beginning resource: Abrams, Norton “Introduction” to Romanticism;
WW: “Preface” to the Lyrical Ballads.
Literary Gothic: 7 basic features of
Gothic Literature, with 3 examples of poetry or prose that, in total, represent
all 7 features (handout); ; how those features
play into and against the political climate; close study of
three or four poems that continue the discussion.
·
Beginning resource: Resources for the Study of Gothic
Literature; The Gothic: Materials for Study; A Glossary of Literary
Gothic Terms
Satire:
precise definition of satire and its various subgenres and
modalities (e.g. parody, burlesque, bathos, travesty, etc.) and delineation of
the Horation / Juvenalian/ divide
(handout); how those features play into and against the political
climate; close
study of three or four poems that continue the discussion. (members:
Blair starts here
·
Beginning resource: any good glossary of literary terms.
·
¼:
group presentations, including report on poem
·
¼: exam on 2/28
·
15-20
page critical paper of the student’s own devising. It must intersect with one of the major
issues covered in the course and contain at least five secondary sources (at
least three of which are print).
Mid-term exam: choose one
exam not formulated by your own group.
Satire Choose one of the following essay questions and compile a 500-750 word essay. 1.) It has been argued that Blake's "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" is a satirical criticism of the dominant religious institutions of his day. In particular, Blake's "memorable fancies" dramatize the targets of his critique in a very humorous manner.Discuss some of the satirical methods Blake uses in this work, paying particular attention to the ways he portrays adherents to religious dogma. 2.) As mentioned in class, defining satire and its various modalities is not always an easy task. We also mentioned in class how William Blake's “Visions of the Daughters of Albion” works on many different allegorical levels. Taking into consideration our class discussions on satire, discuss the following, citing examples from Blake's text: There is no doubt that Blake's “Visions of the Daughters of Albion” presents undeniable attacks on the political, social, and religious establishments of his time, but would you consider these attacks "satirical?" Defend your argument using examples from the text. And. . .If you consider these attacks satirical in nature, how would you classify Blake's mode of satire? 3.)
Several of Blake’s poems in Songs of Innocence and Songs of
Experience contain ambiguous or ironic
treatments
of their subjects lines that verge on the satiric.
Using
specific evidence from at least two poems and considering the political,
religious, and social climate
of the late seventeen hundreds, explain what
Blake is trying to satirize and why he has chosen to target such
a subject or subjects. Be sure to mention Blake’s satiric method(s)
(horatian, juvenalian, parody, irony,
burlesque, etc.) and why it is/they are
important to his overall purpose or message.
4.) From our reading selections, choose a “straight” Gothic ballad
and its paired burlesque. Discuss how the
parody works and what seem
to be its main satiric targets. Also,
would you classify the burlesque as a harsh
dismissal of the original
(Juvenalian-leaning) or a playful imitation, maybe even a tribute
(Horatian-leaning)?
5.) Although William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge are considered to be quintessential Romantic poets, both have written poems that appear to rework gothic literary conventions. WW’s “The Idiot Boy” and “The Thorn” and STC’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” for example, stray rather far from the traditional Romantic ideal. Could these poems be considered satires of the gothic tradition? Defend your answer with concrete evidence from one or more of the poems.
Gothic
Answer three of the following five questions,
two with well-developed paragraph or short essay answers and one with a longer
essay (400-600 words):
1. Read over Gothic
Literature: What the Romantic Poets Read. Discuss two or three of their criticisms
of the Gothic.
2. Discuss two or three reasons why
Gothic literature became so popular when it first appeared.
3. Name five of the seven traits of Gothic literature as we discussed in class. For each trait, provide an example of how Gothic authors would incorporate these traits in their works. 4. Compare and contrast the midnight
ride in one or more Gothic poems with the midnight ride in
Wordsworth’s “The Idiot Boy.”
5. Pinpoint an arguably Gothic moment
or image in a poem of Coleridge’s.
Discuss his treatment of
this convention: is it genuinely
Gothic? Ambivalent? Equivocal? Parodic? How should the reader respond
to this evocation of the Gothic
tradition?
Romanticism
I. Short Answer – Choose 2 of the 4 questions and
write a paragraph answer for each.
1.
Pinpoint
and discuss one element of WW’s “Preface” to the Lyrical Ballads that goes against Neoclassical literary practice or
theory.
2. Choose one of Blake’s proverbs form “The Marriage of Heaven and
Hell” and discuss how it nicely encapsulates his larger poetic or religious
vision.
3. Identify one supremely “Romantic” passage in one of the
poems and explain what makes it so.
4. Although Romanticism is often defined
as a counter-satiric mode of writing, pinpoint an arguably
satiric passage in one of the first-generation
Romantic poets and briefly discuss its satiric target and
method.
II. Essay – Choose 1 of the 2 questions and
develop a well-detailed essay of 400-600 words on the topic.
1.
Wordsworth
was an early supporter of the French Revolution who later became disenchanted
with it. Using Books 9 and 10 of
Wordsworth’s Prelude, discuss how and
why Wordsworth experienced a decline in his support of the Revolution.
2.
Choose
a poem we have discussed in class and explain in detail the Romantic elements
of the poem.