Literature in History II: The Rise of Anglo-American Literature (1700-1900)

The explosion of science and capitalism at the beginning of this era caused fundamental questioning of traditional religious and political ideas. At the same time, Britain was emerging as the world’s most powerful colonial force. While focused on the close reading of texts, this course will also explore Enlightenment literature that addresses these political and intellectual developments (including works selected from such writers as Swift, Defoe, Pope, Fielding, Wollstonecraft and Franklin). Additionally, the course may investigate how English settlers and colonial peoples modified and questioned these Enlightenment ideas. With the rise of revolutionary challenges to the Enlighten¬ment, England and America began to define simultaneously connected and different identities, while also engaging in a more self-conscious literary and philosophical dialogue. Tracing related Romantic ideas in such authors as Blake, Wordsworth, Mary and Percy Shelley, Tennyson, Poe, Emerson, Thoreau and Dickinson, the course will explore how each country created a distinct culture in an increasingly secular, industrial, and multicultural world. This course satisfies the Core Curriculum requirement in the Arts. Prerequisite or co-requisite: English 102, CORE 101, NITZ 180, or CORE 301.