EN227 Romantic and Victorian Poetry
Convenors 2011-2012:
Dr Emma Mason: terms 1 and 2
Dr Emma Francis: term 3
This module is a Pathway Approved Option for the English Pathway and one of the Distributional Requirement options for the Theory, World and North American Pathways for 2012/13.
Overview
This module focuses on significant poets from the Romantic and Victorian periods and situates their work within the cultural, social, political, economic, scientific and aesthetic debates of the period. You will need to pay close attention to both formal and contextual dimensions of the poems. This is primarily a close-reading module, however, and the focus is always the poems. The set texts are nearly all in the anthologies, except for one or two, which can be accessed by clicking on the links on the set texts page. You are welcome and encouraged to read other poems written in the period 1780-1900 in addition to the set texts.
Syllabus
For a list of set texts, follow this link. Recommended introductory books include: Isobel Armstrong, Victorian Poetry: Poetry, Poetics, and Politics (1993); Marilyn Butler, Romantics, Rebels and Reactionaries (1982); Stuart Curran, Poetic Form and British Romanticism (1986).
The module is assessed 50% by coursework and 50% by a 2-hour summer examination: this is assessment route (C). The coursework comprises 2 essays: (1) an unassessed close reading essay, 1500 words (submission of this essay is a requirement of the module); (2) an assessed research-based essay, 5000 words, 50% of your final mark.
Text books
You need to buy two books: The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Romantic, ed. Stephen Greenblatt (W. W. Norton & Co, 2006); ISBN 0393927202; and The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Victorian, ed. Stephen Greenblatt (W. W. Norton & Co, 2006); ISBN 0393927210.
