The Romantic Era Novel
ENG 398.03: Capstone Experience
Winter 2003
Syllabus
MWF 11:00-11:50 a.m., Stewart Hall 106
Dr. Devoney Looser
Office: 316H Tate Hall
Office hours: MW, 10:00-10:45 a.m.
Required texts
Austen, Jane. Mansfield Park (1815/6)
Burney, Frances. The Wanderer (1814)
Porter, Jane. The Scottish Chiefs (1810)*
Scott, Walter. Waverley (1814)
Booth, Wayne. et al. The Craft of Research.
With the exception of The Scottish Chiefs, all texts should be available through the campus bookstore.
*As there is no suitable modern edition of The Scottish Chiefs, students have several options:
1)Access the text through a free Internet edition.
2)Purchase the text through an online bookseller, such as abebooks.com or alibris.com. Nineteenth-century editions for sale online start at approximately $3-5, plus shipping. Note that we will be reading the novel in its unabridged format and that the Wyeth illustrated edition is abridged.
3)Check out the book from the library, if available. (Both hard copy and non-circulating microfilm editions are available in MU’s Ellis Library.)
Introduction to the Course
Though most of us think we know a novel when we see one, pinning down a definition can prove tricky. We might be satisfied with “a long work of prose fiction,” but that begs the question of what is long, what is prose, and, finally, what is fiction. What is the relationship of history to fiction and vice versa? To what degree is the novel “true”? And to what is it “true”? As literary critic A. O. J. Cockshut has written, “Novels are what people agree to call novels.”
Most critics agree that the eighteenth century saw what Ian Watt called “the rise of the novel” in English. Certainly, that period witnessed the emergence and widespread use the tern “novel” (in the sense we understand it) in the English language. Over the course of the eighteenth century in Great Britain, approximately 3000 novels were published. During the same period, 10,000 books were published 0n British history alone. The most popular genre was religious writings and, following that, travel books.
Those of us who study literature—particularly of the past hundred years—may need to be reminded that the novel did not appear on the scene either fully formed or fully accepted. In fact, in the early eighteenth century, the words “novel,” “romance,” and “history” appear to have been used interchangeably. By the late eighteenth century, the reputation of the novel was so low that some writers labeled their fiction “tales” or “works” so as not to be associated with the suspect form. Novels were deemed by some to be “sad trash” or even polluting and morally dangerous. It was said that novels led readers (especially females) to believe that the world resembled a book—an error that gave them erroneous ideas about what life would (or should) hold for them.
By the mid nineteenth-century, however, the novel emerged as a more respectable genre and lost its primary association as a feminine form. Men had been a substantial minority of novel authors --perhaps about a third in the late eighteenth century. According to critic Terry Lovell in her book Consuming Fiction, “As fiction proved popular and profitable, and as it won its literary credentials, so men moved back into a position of numerical dominance. By the 1840s the proportion of women producers of fiction had been reduced to about 20 percent" (43).
The four novels we will be reading were published at an important stage in the novel’s move toward acceptability and in its differentiation from other kinds of fiction, including “romance.” Two of the novelists, Jane Austen and Sir Walter Scott, became increasingly popular and well regarded as the nineteenth century progressed. Austen’s reputation far outstripped Scott’s in the twentieth century—something that could not have been predicted in 1830. Frances Burney’s career as a novelist was effectively at an end with the publication of The Wanderer, and her reputation has only recently made a comeback. Jane Porter, who claims that she (and not Scott) invented the historical novel has to this day received scanty attention, though she has never entirely fallen out of public view. These four authors and novels offer us an interesting cross section of what novels were and were becoming in the 1810s and give us the opportunity to think about the novel’s (and the novelist’s) situation, reputation, and history in a larger critical frame.
Because this is a research-based course, we will work together to formulate questions about and seek possible answers to the issues raised above. In the end, you will produce a research paper that takes into account literary history and criticism and that is itself a contribution to literary scholarship.
Course Goals
To study British novels from the Romantic Era (1780-1830) in their historical, literary, gendered, and national contexts.
To gauge aesthetic, thematic, and political similarities and differences among these novels.
To offer access to contemporary scholarly debates in the field and opportunities to take positions of one’s own.
To provide assignments that allow for the improvement of research and writing skills, culminating in the production of a substantial research paper.
Expectations
1)Research prospectus for each of the four novels assigned (four at two pages each)
(4 @ 5 % = 20 percent).
After we complete each novel, you will turn in a one-page research prospectus, accompanied by a one-page annotated bibliography. A prospectus is a short document that describes future intended research. An effective prospectus gets to its anticipated topic and argument(s) right away--in the first sentence if possible--and outlines briefly the proposed steps of the argument, as well as its anticipated scope. In this proposal, you should outline a research project that you could potentially produce in the course. Although I do not assign topics, I would be happy to discuss ideas with you during my office hours or via email.
You might choose to ask a question about a particular character or relationship, a historical event, a narrative technique, or a critical question or problem that we have considered in class. In order to frame an informed research question, you will need to learn about the resources that are already available and arguments that have already been made on this topic. Therefore, you will also be required to turn in a one-page annotated bibliography with your prospectus, identifying the four most important books, essays, and/or Internet resources you locate relevant to the research problem(s) you have outlined. You should first cite the article, book chapter, or book in MLA style and then provide a one-paragraph summary of its contents. The sources you choose must be complete essays or books (not excerpts, such as those found in our textbooks) and must not have been assigned in class.
Here are some sample questions that may lead to more specific questions for your research prospectus on each novel:
•What was the status of this novel in the years after it was published? How was it received, and what issues influenced that reception?
•What is the status of this novel (or its author) in today’s cultural or educational context? What is your assessment of how and why that status remains in force?
•How does the novel change, use, or comment on historical events? What is the novel’s narrative or ideological approach to the historical material it presents?
•How does the novel address issues of identity (race, class, gender, religion, sexuality, and/or nationality), and what is the impact of its presentation? How does the presentation accord with dominant representations or beliefs during this period?
Your final paper will follow up on one of your research proposals, turning it into a sustained and well-researched argumentative paper (See #3).
2) Presentation of Final Paper (10 percent)
After being introduced by a classmate (your “chair”), you will give a ten-minute presentation to the class on your research project in progress. The chair will then facilitate a five-minute question-and-answer session about your work. (It is the chair’s responsibility to make sure that you do not stray beyond the time allowed to you.) I will assign dates for these presentations, which will occur during the final weeks of the course.
Each of you will also be evaluating your classmates’s presentations. (I will use these evaluations as I consider your grade, though they will not be the final determinant.) The feedback from your peers will be returned to you, along with my own feedback and evaluation.
3) Research Paper (40 percent)
Rough draft #1 (10 percent); Rough draft #2 (5 percent); Final paper (25 percent)
You will complete a research paper that follows up on one of your research prospectuses. Your paper must incorporate outside research. You should demonstrate familiarity with recent scholarship on your chosen topic, primarily using information found in scholarly books and periodicals. Your paper should refer to at least a dozen consulted sources that are most appropriate to the topic of your project. We will discuss ways to find and incorporate the best source material as the semester proceeds.
Your paper should be a literary analysis that demonstrates knowledge of recent (as well as significant past) debates on British novels of the Romantic Era. Your paper should make an argument, as well as comment on arguments that previous critics have put forwarrd. This assignment is not a book report that engages primarily in summary. Instead, the assignment requires you to keep your own voice and judgments at the center of the essay, using primary and secondary sources to structure and reflect on your ideas and interpretations.
You will circulate for peer review a rough draft of your paper, which I expect will be at least half the length required of the final paper and perhaps longer. You will then turn the draft into me. I will make brief comments and ask questions, which I expect that you will address in your revision. The second rough draft version will be evaluated by your peers. You will be evaluated for on-time submission and peer response.
4)Weekly On-Line Discussion (15 percent)
You will be assigned to a small group of approximately five students, with whom you will engage in a web-based discussion on Blackboard. Your contribution should engage with and respond to ideas and questions of your group members (approximately 200 words). Your comments should be substantive ones that could elicit a variety of responses from your group members. (In other words, steer away from posting yes or no questions or questions that may be easily answered by the text itself.) You should aim to construct responses that demonstrate that you have read and reflected on the assigned text, as well as each other’s postings. In your responses, your focus should not be primarily on what you liked or disliked, although that may be relevant to your larger point. At mid-term and at the end of the term, I will evaluate your responses as excellent (A), good (B), satisfactory (C), and poor (D). At the beginning of the term, I will share examples of responses that I think are particularly strong. Late work (accepted up to one week late) will not be graded higher than a C (75). Missed work is automatically an F (0) for that week.
5) Attendance and In-Class Participation (15 percent)
The majority of our class time will be spent discussing (in both small and large groups) the reading and writing assignments. Exemplary participation in these activities will demonstrate that you are preparing and thinking about the material and will help your final grade in this category (A-B). Active listening will likely neither help nor hurt your grade (B-C). Inattentiveness, tardiness, or absence will likely lower your grade (D-F). If you miss more than four classes during the course of the term, you will receive a grade of D to F (50-60) for this portion of your grade. Please note, too, that a grade of 50 must be earned and that zeros are possible in the case of excessive absences.
Grading Scale
93-100 (A)
90-92 (A-)
88-89 (B+)
83-87 (B)
80-82 (B-)
78-79 (C+)
73-77 (C)
70-72 (C-)
68-69 (D+)
63-67 (D)
60-62 (D-)
59 and below (F)
Please note that an F grade, too, must be earned. Significant missing work will result in a failing grade nearer to 0 than to 59.
Other Matters
I expect that we will show respect for all individuals and their differences in the classroom. This involves listening well to each other, processing new information and opinions carefully, and treating all class members with respect. If you cannot abide by these rules, you will be asked to make an appointment with me to discuss your continuation in the course.
MU Statement on Academic Dishonesty
Academic honesty is fundamental to the activities and principles of a university. All members of the academic community must be confident that each person's work has been responsibly and honorably acquired, developed, and presented. Any effort to gain an advantage not given to all students is dishonest whether or not the effort is successful. The academic community regards academic dishonesty as an extremely serious matter, with serious consequences that range from probation to expulsion. When in doubt about plagiarism, paraphrasing, quoting, or collaboration, please consult the instructor. Notice of violations and action(s) taken will be handled in accordance with Section 6.01 of the Collected Rules and Regulations of the University as published in the MBook.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
If you need accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please inform me immediately. Please see me privately after class or at my office. To request academic accommodations (for example, a note taker), students must also register with Disability Services, AO38 Brady Commons, 882-4696. It is the campus office responsible for reviewing documentation provided by students requesting academic accommodations, and for accommodations planning in cooperation with students and instructors, as needed and consistent with course requirements. For other MU resources for students with disabilities, click on “Disability Resources" on the MU homepage.
The Romantic Era Novel
ENG 398.03: Capstone Experience
Winter 2003
REVISED Reading and Assignment Schedule
Week Five: Austen’s Mansfield Park
Monday, February 17th
Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park: Vol. II (pp. 121-210)
GROUP TWO RESPONSE
Wednesday, February 19th
Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park: Vol. III (pp. 211-321)
GROUP THREE RESPONSE
Friday, February 21st
Lovers’ Vows (in Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park) (pp. 329-375)
GROUP ONE RESPONSE
Week Six: Austen’s Mansfield Park (cont.)
Monday, February 24th
Excerpts from “Criticism” section ((in Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park: Fergus, Trilling, Johnson, Said, Southam, and Lew) (pp. 413-423; 458-475; 493-510)
Opinions on Mansfield Park (pp. 375-379)
GROUP TWO RESPONSE
Wednesday, February 26th
Jane Porter’s Scottish Chiefs: Prefaces and Chs.1-X (110 pages)
GROUP THREE RESPONSE
Friday, February 28th
In-class work with SECOND RESEARCH PROSPECTUS (Austen)
A. D. Hook, “Jane Porter, Sir Walter Scott, and the Historical Novel”(TBA)
Week Seven: Was Jane Porter the First Historical Novelist?
Monday, March 3rd
SECOND RESEARCH PROSPECTUS DUE (Austen)
Jane Porter’s Scottish Chiefs: Chs.XI-XXV (110 pages)
GROUP ONE RESPONSE
Wednesday, March 5th
Jane Porter’s Scottish Chiefs: Chs.XXVI-XLIII (140 pages)
GROUP TWO RESPONSE
Friday, March 7th
NO CLASS
Jane Porter’s Scottish Chiefs: Chs.XLIV-LVI (110 pages)
GROUP THREE RESPONSE
Week Eight: Jane Porter’s Scottish Chiefs
Monday, March 10th
Jane Porter’s Scottish Chiefs Chs. LVII-LXIX (110 pages)
GROUP ONE RESPONSE
Wednesday, March 12th
Jane Porter’s Scottish Chiefs Chs. LXX to LXXXIX (130 pages)
GROUP TWO RESPONSE
Friday, March 14th
Jane Porter’s Scottish Chiefs Appendix and Reviews (handout)
Biography of Jane Porter (online)
Memoir of Miss Jane Porter (online)
GROUP THREE RESPONSE
In-class work with THIRD RESEARCH PROSPECTUS (Porter)
Week Nine: Frances Burney’s The Wanderer
Monday, March 17th
“A Chronology of Frances Burney” (pp. xliii-xlvi) and Preface (pp. 1-10)
Frances Burney’s The Wanderer: Vol. I, Book I (pp. 11-102)
GROUP ONE RESPONSE
Wednesday, March 19th
CAAP EXAM
Frances Burney’s The Wanderer: Vol. I, Book II (pp. 103-193)
GROUP TWO RESPONSE
Friday, March 21st
THIRD RESEARCH PROSPECTUS DUE (Porter)
Frances Burney’s The Wanderer: Vol. II, Book III (pp.195-282)
SPRING BREAK. March 24-28
Week Ten: Frances Burney’s The Wanderer (cont.)
Monday, March 31st
Frances Burney’s The Wanderer: Vol. II, Book IV (pp. 283-381)
GROUP THREE RESPONSE
Wednesday, April 2nd
Frances Burney’s The Wanderer: Vol. III, Book V (pp.383-476)
Critical essay TBA
GROUP ONE RESPONSE
Friday, April 4th
IN-CLASS SPEAKER (Bill Dawson)
Frances Burney’s The Wanderer: Vol. III, Book VI (pp.477-561)
GROUP TWO RESPONSE
Week Eleven: Frances Burney’s The Wanderer (cont.)
Monday, April 7th
Frances Burney’s The Wanderer: Vol. IV, Book VII & VIII (pp. 563-710)
GROUP THREE RESPONSE
Wednesday, April 9th
Frances Burney’s The Wanderer: Vol. IV, Book IX (pp. 711-794)
GROUP ONE RESPONSE
In class work with FOURTH RESEARCH PROSPECTUS (Burney)
Friday, April 11th
Frances Burney’s The Wanderer: Vol. V, Book X (pp. 795-873)
GROUP TWO RESPONSE
Week Twelve: Assessments of Frances Burney’s The Wanderer
Monday, April 14th
Appendices I-VI (pp. 876-892)
Reviews of The Wanderer (TBA)
Criticism on The Wanderer (TBA)
GROUP THREE RESPONSE
Wednesday, April 16th
FOURTH RESEARCH PROSPECTUS DUE (Burney)
In-Class Workshop (required)
Friday, April 18th
In-Class Workshop (optional)
Week Thirteen: Rough Drafts and Presentations
Monday, April 21st
FIRST ROUGH DRAFT DUE (In-class peer evaluations)
Wednesday, April 23rd
Student Presentations
Friday, April 25th
Student Presentations
Week Fourteen: Rough Drafts and Presentations (cont.)
Monday, April 28th
(First draft returned, with my comments)
Craft of Research (pp. 199-254)
Wednesday, April 30th
Student Presentations
Friday, May 2nd
SECOND ROUGH DRAFT DUE (In-class peer evaluations)
Week Fifteen: Final Drafts and Presentations
Monday, May 5th
Student Presentations
Course Evaluation
Wednesday, May 7th
Student Presentations
FINAL PAPERS DUE
FINAL EXAM DATE: Friday, May 16, 10:30-12:30 p.m. Papers available for return.