Paper VI: English Literature 3

This course explores the literature of the Neo-classical and Romantic Periods in order give the student a substantial foundation in the literature and cultural history of one the most vibrant epochs in English literature (from 1720 to 1824). It examines the major literary genres and forms used by the Augustans, the late Augustans and the Romantics while also considering the major themes and ideas dominating these ages. We will follow the literature as it unfolds during this crucial period, reading it chronologically using modern and, in some instances, contemporary philosophical and critical paradigms and notions. The Augustans and the mid-eighteenth century poets/writers will be read in the context of the Enlightenment as also the rise of Industrial revolution. The Romantics’ participation in and, in some instances, witness to the great social, intellectual, and political upheavals in European history (Bastille, the Reign of Terror, Napoleon, Holy Alliance) will also be discussed in order to come to terms with the radically visionary poetics they were articulating.

The course situates the canonical poets/writers in the context of the broad conventions and traditions in which they wrote. We will consider in detail the writings of Jonathan Swift, Samuel Johnson, Thomas Gray, Oliver Goldsmith, William Blake, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth, P.B. Shelley, Mary Shelley, John Keats and Lord Byron in order to identify, analyse and evaluate each poet/writer’s distinguishing formal, aesthetic and ethical characteristics and preoccupations.