English 4130-01W: Eighteenth-Century British Literature
Masquerade, Menace, and Meaning in the 18th Century
Dr. Margaret E. Mitchell
Spring 2008 TTH 3:30-4:45 Hum 206
Office: TLC 2235
Email: mmitchel@westga.edu
Website: http: //www.westga.edu/~mmitchel
Phone: 678.839.4852
Office Hours: M 2-4, W 10-12 and 1-3, Th 4:30-5:30, also by appt.
In Restoration and eighteenth-century England, the rise of the middle class threatened to reshape established notions of social identity, while definitions of gender and sexuality were arguably both fluid and contested. In important ways, then, it was a period of dramatic social change. In this class we will examine the ways in which the cultural fears, hopes and anxieties that arose from these uncertainties are reflected in much of the literature of the period, from the frank bawdiness of restoration and eighteenth-century drama to the emergence of a new, unwieldy, still-developing form, the early novel. We will pay particular attention to the eighteenth century’s fascination with masquerade, which dramatizes the instability of human identity and may function as a subversive strategy or a cover for violence—and sometimes does both within the same text. We will supplement our literary reading with readings in history and culture, with the goal of developing a richer understanding of 18th-century world.
Required Texts:
The Rover, Aphra Behn. (1677) Penguin Classics
Moll Flanders, Daniel Defoe. (1722) Modern Library
Pamela, Samuel Richardson. (1740) Oxford World’s Classics
She Stoops to Conquer, Oliver Goldsmith. (1773) Dover Thrift
Evelina, Frances Burney. (1778) Oxford World’s Classics
English Society in the Eighteenth Century, Roy Porter.
Additional readings in poetry, criticism, etc. will be made available electronically.
Requirements
It will be crucial that you keep up with the reading for this class. Brevity was not a strong point for 18th-century writers, on the whole: some of these texts are pretty long. Frequent quizzes (very straightforward and fact-based) will ensure that you come to class prepared; you may use your reading notes (not your books!) for quizzes. You owe it to your fellow students to come to class prepared to contribute informed, thoughtful insights to our discussions. I’ll expect you to be ready to bring specific passages to the attention of the class in order to focus and deepen our discussions. You must bring the text(s) under discussion to each class. Under the assumption that everyone will have done this preparation, I may call upon you at any time. Because participation counts toward your grade, you should make a point of speaking at least once during each class. You’ll write 3 short response papers over the course of the semester, an assignment designed to develop analytical prowess and effective writing strategies; I won’t accept these late. You will write one 5-page essay, for which you will receive a list of suggested topics in advance, as well as an 8-10 page research-based paper. Drafts are required, not optional, along with all process-based assignments associated with each paper. These will be graded as homework assignments, so failure to complete them (on time) will lower your overall grade. You may elect to revise (substantially) your first essay, in which case I will average the two grades.
Policies and Procedures
Your active presence is essential to the success of the class. Quizzes and in-class writings cannot be made up regardless of the reason for your absence. (Exception: if you know in advance that you will need to miss a class, contact me and we can arrange for you to make up the quiz or assignment for that day.) Essays will drop a third of a letter grade for each day they are late (from a B to a B-, for instance). Papers will be accepted only in class; please don’t email them to me or leave them in my mailbox unless you’re specifically instructed to. You may miss three classes without penalty. There is no such thing as an excused absence. I assume that illness or other pressing circumstances may legitimately cause you to miss three classes in the course of the semester; I don’t need to know your reasons. Beyond that, however, absences will affect your grade, regardless of your reasons. I will deduct half a letter grade for your fourth absence, another half for your fifth, and another half for your sixth. If you miss more than six classes you will automatically fail the course. If you do miss class, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed and arrange to obtain handouts, notes, or information. (If you have truly extraordinary circumstances documented by the university, of course, please meet with me to discuss your options.)
Please come to class on time. If you are late three times it will count as an absence; lateness will also affect your ability to complete quizzes or in-class writings within the amount of time allowed. If you arrive late, it is your responsibility to speak to me at the end of class so that I can mark you late, rather than absent; I won’t interrupt class to do this, and might otherwise not remember. Please turn off cell phones and other potential sources of electronic disturbance before you enter class and remove them from sight. If such a device does go off during class, or if I see you checking messages, etc., I will mark you late.
Assignments and information relevant to the class, including updates to the schedule, will be posted regularly on my website. It is your responsibility to check this.
I check my email regularly; this is always a good way to contact me. University policy dictates that we correspond via your westga email account rather than any email accounts you might have. Make sure to use your My Westga account when you write to me.
I expect you to preserve an atmosphere of courtesy, respect, and intellectual maturity in the classroom, to take your own work and that of the other students seriously. Very little is less respectful than napping: if you fall asleep, you will receive one warning; the second time you will be asked to leave and counted as absent.
If you have special needs of which I should be aware, please meet with me as soon as possible to discuss satisfactory arrangements.
Academic Honesty
Presenting the language or ideas of someone else as your own constitutes plagiarism--whether your source is a friend, a relative, or a critic; whether the uncredited material is a phrase, a paragraph, or an entire paper; whether it is a formal or an informal assignment; whether the language is exact or paraphrased. Plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the class; will be reported to the English Department, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the Student Judicial Officer; and may have consequences at the university level. There will be no exceptions, no negotiations. “Accidental” plagiarism is plagiarism nevertheless. If you are ever concerned about what constitutes plagiarism, please consult me. You may also see the English Department website for more details and resources (see the link on my website).
Grading
Quizzes: 20%.
Short writing assignments: 20%.
Includes response papers and any additional in and out of class writing as well as all assignments related to the writing process (outlines, drafts, etc). Graded on a 10 point scale.
Essay #1: 20%
Participation: 10%
Research Paper: 30%.
Schedule:
Th Jan 10 Introduction
T Jan 15 Behn, The Rover Acts I-III
Th Jan 17 In Porter: Chapter 1, “Contrast”
T Jan 22 The Rover Acts IV-V
Th Jan 24 In Porter: Chapter 2, “The Social Order.” Response paper #1 due.
For Thursday: response paper # 1: a thesis-driven mini-essay in which you address, from whatever angle you choose, the function of disguise in this play. In other words, how does the pervasiveness of disguise, or masks, contribute to the play’s meaning?—the ideas that you think are at stake in this play? –My advice is not to take on too much; choose something narrowly defined enough to be manageable in one to two pages. Proper paragraph structure, MLA, quotations from play.
T Jan 29 Defoe, Moll Flanders to the end of page 108 (inc. preface)
Th Jan 31 In Porter: Chapter “Power, Politics and the Law”
T Feb 5 Candidate visit: The Rover and performativity.
Th Feb 7 Moll Flanders to the end of p. 209 (“feet again”) Response #2 assigned: Keeping today's class discussion in mind, think about identity or disguise or both as they are represented in Moll Flanders. Devise a topic for a mini-essay (one to two pages) in some way related to these ideas. I recommend that you focus on something narrow, easy to limit--a passage, a scene; something you can explore in some depth. Your essay should be thesis-driven and formally structured; make sure you quote from the text.
T Feb 12 Moll Flanders finish. Essay # 1 assigned. Response #2 due.
Th Feb 14 In Porter: Chapter 4, “Keeping Life Going.” Candidate #2: Criminality & Moll Flanders.
T Feb 19 Richardson, Pamela to 121. Candidate #3.
Th Feb 21 Rough drafts due. In-class workshop.
T Feb 26 Essay #1 due. Pamela to 198.
Th Feb 28 Pamela, cont’d.
[M Mar 3 Last day to withdraw with a W]
T Mar 4 Pamela to 249.
Th Mar 6 Pamela to 299.
T Mar 11 Pamela finish. (make sure you budget plenty of time for this reading assignment!)
Th Mar 13 In Porter: Chapter 6, “Having and Enjoying.” Discuss guidelines for research paper.
SPRING BREAK
T Mar 25 Goldsmith, She Stoops to Conquer. Response paper #3 assigned:
What ideas or assumptions about class and/or gender inform the comic “masquerade” in Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer? In other words, what is ultimately at stake in this comedy? (It might make sense to focus on a particular scene or exchange—be sure to work closely with the text.)
Th Mar 27 In Porter: Chapter 7, “Changing Experiences.” Discuss research papers.
T Apr 1 Burney, Evelina to 154. Response paper #3 due.
Th Apr 3 Writing/ research workshop.
T Apr 8 Evelina to 300
Th Apr 10 Conferences. Wed: Megan 12:00, Patrick 5:00. Thurs: Melissa 3:45, Kellyn 4:05, LaShanna 4:20, Caroline 4:40, Josh 5:00, Deirdre 5:20.
T Apr 15 Evelina, finish.
Th Apr 17 Poetry, selections TBA
T Apr 22 Rough Draft Workshop--5 pages.
Th Apr 24 Poetry, selections TBA
T Apr29 Conclusion
Research paper due Friday, May 2.
Course Goals
Program Goals