In the aftermath of the French Revolution and into the early decades of the nineteenth century, Britain experienced significant cultural and political upheaval. While the convulsions resulted in foreign wars, widespread social unrest and extreme factionalism not so dissimilar to our own historical moment, the tumult also contributed to the flowering of two seminal literary movements—Gothicism and Romanticism. These two traditions—sometimes oppositional, sometimes complementary—in turn came to characterize this period in British literary history and produced some of the most famous authors in the field of English literature.
In this course we will read foundational works of British Romanticism and Gothicism by Radcliffe, Austen, and Scott, alongside excerpts from influential political, philosophical, and other literary works integral to the times. These texts will enable us to examine characteristics of the two movements and their places in literary history. Along the way, questions we will ask include: What does it mean for a style to characterize ‘the spirit of an age’? How did these literary traditions illustrate ‘fictionality’ and yet relate to the public events taking place at the time—the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, British imperialism, and advances falling within the rubric of an ‘industrial revolution’? How did literature change to adapt to new reading audiences?
In this course we will read foundational works of British Romanticism and Gothicism by Radcliffe, Austen, and Scott, alongside excerpts from influential political, philosophical, and other literary works integral to the times. These texts will enable us to examine characteristics of the two movements and their places in literary history. Along the way, questions we will ask include: What does it mean for a style to characterize ‘the spirit of an age’? How did these literary traditions illustrate ‘fictionality’ and yet relate to the public events taking place at the time—the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, British imperialism, and advances falling within the rubric of an ‘industrial revolution’? How did literature change to adapt to new reading audiences?
- Teacher: זכריה-בנימין גרבר