Restoration & 18th-Century Literature

In this full year lecture-based course, we will consider such literary developments as the rise of the novel, the prevalence of periodicals, the popularity of poetry, and the passion for plays amongst Britons during the period known as the long eighteenth century. Our multi-genre literature survey will proceed chronologically and thematically, pausing to consider such key concepts as Augustanism, wit, decorum, the occasional, the pastoral, the eidolon, and various social and cultural developments of the era. Authors will include Swift, Cavendish, Richardson, Fielding, Johnson, Burney, and Equiano.