TEXTS:

Defoe, Daniel. Moll Flanders. Penguin
Fielding, Henry. Tom Jones. Penguin
Goldsmith, Oliver. The Vicar of Wakefield. Penguin
Lennox, Charlotte. The Female Quixote. Oxford
Lewis, Matthew. The Monk. Grove
Richardson, Samuel. Pamela. Norton
Smollett, Tobias. Humphry Clinker. Penguin
Sterne, Laurence. Tristram Shandy. Norton
 

ASSIGNMENTS:

8 Quizzes (1 for each novel)
3 essays (5-7 pages typewritten)
Mid-Term Exam
Final Exam
 

Each assignment will be weighed equally.

The exams will cover material we have discussed in class and will consist of identifications of quotations. The exam dates are firm: please note the dates of the exams because no make-up exams will be given.

For the essays you select a topic from the list of topics I will provide. You will be asked to discuss of one of the works we will have discussed in the corresponding third of the semester. Because this is a course in the Department of English, I expect the essays to be well written, free from grammatical errors, coherent and unified, and supported with specific evidence from the
texts. You are encouraged not to consult outside sources in the preparation of your essay; however, should you make use of other material, you need to acknowledge such borrowings. Failure to provide proper and complete documentation will result in an F for the course. Essays turned in late will be penalized.

On the first day of the discussion of a novel, I will give a very short quiz at the beginning of class. This quiz will ascertain whether the work has been read. Because there will be no make-ups for these quizzes, I will drop the lowest grade. Literature courses demand a lot of reading. You are expected to keep up with the readings and to contribute to class discussions.
 
 

August    25 Introductory Lecture
               27

September 1 No School
                 3 Moll Flanders

                 8
                10

                15 Pamela
                17

                22
                24

                29 Tom Jones                                                                            1^ST ESSAY DUE
October    1

                6
                8

                13 MID-TERM EXAM
                15 The Female Quixote          Tom Jones

                20The Female Quixote
                22

                27 Tristram Shandy
                29

November 3
                5      No class                                                                               2^ND ESSAY DUE

                10 Vicar of Wakefield                                                         2^ND ESSAY DUE
                12

                17 CLASS CANCELLED
                19 Humphry Clinker

                24
                26

              29 The Monk
              30

December 1  The Monk
                   3                                                                                        3^RD ESSAY DUE

                   8 FINAL EXAM: 1530-1815
 
 

TOPICS FOR THE THIRD ESSAY

1.  Primrose's story is said to parallel Job's in the Bible.  Discuss specific similarities in the 2 narratives.

2.  Discuss what one of the following stories contributes to the theme of Humphry Clinker:  Oxmington, Baynard, Bullford, or Denninson.

3.  Compare and contrast Ambrosio (The Monk) and a character who is a man of the cloth in another novel read this semester.

4.  Discuss a theme, motif, image (or any other literary device) that appears in a novel from each of the following groups:
a)   Moll Flanders, Pamela
b)  Tom Jones, The Female Quixote, Tristram Shandy
c)  Vicar of Wakefield, Humphry Clinker, The Monk.
 
 

Other Course Links

Guidelines to writing essays about literature

Correction symbols

Tristram Shandy plot summary
 

Links to Other 18th Century Sites

18th Century Web Page contains information on authors of this period

18th-Century Resources  bibliographic information

Costumes used in this period