English 102: English and American Literature from 1650 to 1789

Instructor: James H. Donelan                                      Email: donelan@english.ucsb.edu

Lecture: MWF 10-10:50, Buchanan 1930

Office Hours: MW 11-12, or by appointment, in 2702 South Hall
Course Web Site: http://www.english.ucsb.edu/faculty/jdonelan/teaching/E102S10.htm
Course enrollment is by section. Attendance at discussion section is mandatory.
Place: All discussions sections meet in South Hall 1415.
Section Times and Instructors:
M, 5-5:50; M, 6-6:50 with Tim Gilmore, gilmore@umail.ucsb.edu.  
T, 8-8:50; 9-9:50 with Theresa Russ, tmruss@gmail.com.

Honors Section: M 12:00-12:50 SH 2714. Please see the instructor for an add code. Honors section is in addition to your other discussion section, not a replacement for it.

Course Description: This class on British and American literature of the 1660s through the 1790s will examine ideas of authority, freedom, colonialism, and the nature of civil society from the Restoration through the American War of Independence. Works by Aphra Behn, Daniel Defoe, Alexander Pope, Benjamin Franklin, and Jonathan Edwards, among others, reveal the period's transformations of society, literature, and the mind.

Books: All books are required; none will be on reserve. They are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased at the UCen Bookstore. Links below are to Amazon.com.

·        The Longman Anthology of British Literature, Vol. 1C, Damrosh, et al. 4^th edition.

·        The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Vol. A, Baym, Nina, 7^th edition.

Requirements: The course requires regular attendance, active participation in discussion section, and timely completion of all assignments, including, a short essay (5-6 pages), a midterm, a longer essay (8-10 pages), and a final examination. Grades will be calculated as follows:

• Short Essay, 15%
• Midterm, 20%
• Long Essay, 25 %
• Final, 25%
• Attendance and Participation, 15%

In addition, please do your best to observe the following rules:

• Papers should be no longer or shorter than the length assigned and submitted on time. Late papers will result in grade reductions. Specific requirements and suggested topics for the essays will be distributed in class and posted on the course web site.
• Never submit a paper without proofreading it carefully. Students are expected to adhere to MLA citation style.
• Your classmates, your instructor, and your teaching assistant depend on your presence in both lecture and discussion section and your full participation. Do not miss class unless you must. Missing more than two lectures or one section meeting will result in a reduction of your grade.
• All university regulations regarding academic dishonesty will be enforced.
• You may be asked to provide preliminary materials, such as a prospectus, an outline, or a rough draft, for either or both of the essays.
• I will describe the structure and content of each examination at an appropriate time and only once per examination. Questions on the examinations may address any readings on the syllabus and anything mentioned in lecture.
• Please read the assignment for a particular day before class. Reading assignments vary in length and difficulty, so please plan ahead.

Syllabus

Key to Reading the Syllabus: “Longman” refers to The Longman Anthology of British Literature, Vol. 1C; “Norton” refers to The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Vol. A. Milton’s Paradise Lost is available online and in any bookstore; you may complete the reading either way. Students are expected to have completed the readings in advance of the date on which they are assigned—lectures make much more sense when you’ve already looked at the text to which they refer.

I.                   The Restoration and its Times

3/29     Introduction and Logistics: The Transformation of the Transatlantic
3/31     “The Restoration and the Eighteenth Century,” Longman, 1981.
4/2       Milton, Paradise Lost, Books I and IV (online)

4/5       Pepys, Excerpts from Diaries, Longman, 2011.
4/7       Bradstreet, “Prologue,” Norton, 188; and “Contemplations” 195.
4/9       Wigglesworth, “Day of Doom,” Norton, 218.

II.                Sin and Savagery

4/12    Rowlandson, Excerpts from Narrative, Norton, 235.
4/14    Dryden, “Absalom and Achitophel,” Longman, 2077.
4/16    Behn, Oroonoko, Longman, 2137.

First Essay Due in Section This Week

4/19    Wycherly, The Country Wife, Longman, 2215.
4/21    Mather, “The Wonders of the Invisible World,” Norton, 308; and Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” Norton, 425.
4/23    “Perspectives: Reading Papers,” Longman, 2310.

4/26    Swift, Gulliver’s Travels, “Houyhnhms,” Longman, 2381.
4/28    Swift, A Modest Proposal, Longman, 2431.
4/30     Midterm

III.             Freedom and the Mind

5/3       Franklin, various writings and Autobiography, Part One, Norton, 449-518
5/5       Franklin, Autobiography, Parts Two, Three, and Four Norton, 518
5/7       St. John de Crèvecouer, “Letters,” Norton, 596

5/10     Pope, “Essay on Criticism,” Longman, 2440.
5/12     Pope, “Essay on Man,” Longman, 2501.
5/14     “Perspectives: Mind and God,” Longman, 2613.

5/17     Paine, various writings, Norton, 629
5/19     Federalist I and X, Norton, 665.
5/21     Jefferson, Autobiography and “Notes on Virginia,” Norton, 651.

5/24     Boswell, various writings, Longman, 2750.
5/26     Equiano, from Narrative, Norton, 674.

IV.              Late Enlightenment Longing

5/28     Goldsmith, “The Deserted Village,” Longman, 2778.

5/31     Memorial Day—No class today.
6/2       Wheatley, poems, Norton, 751
6/4       Conclusions. Second Essay Due at the end of lecture.

6/7, 8-10AM   Final Examination