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Main
UQU Programs

British Literature After 1789

ENG6306
3 hours English

British Literature After 1789

British Literature After
ENG3301 Foundations of Literary Studies
3 hours One requisite
1 Course overview
2 Introduction: The Romantic Period / Note: Students should be given an abridged version of the introductory section to this period, one that highlights the significant historical, linguistic, political, and philosophical forces that shaped the period’s literary production. This can be done by highlighting or summarizing the important sections of the introduction. Alternatively, the instructor may contact the department’s curricula committee to check if the abridged material has been previously prepared by the committee or by previous course instructors. / Suggested writers and texts: / Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman / Blake, Songs of Experience / William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lyrical Ballads / Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility / Lord Byron / Austen, Pride and Prejudice. / Coleridge, Christabel, “Kubla Khan.” / John Keats, Poems / Mary Shelley, Frankenstein / William Hazlitt, The Spirit of the Age / Mary Shelley, The Last Man / Charles Lyell, Principles of Geology
3 The Development of Literary Criticism in British Literary History After 1798 / This component introduces students to the evolution of literary criticism in British literature, progressing alongside the exploration of different literary periods covered in the course. It consists of texts that shaped the development of literary criticism in Britain after 1798, which reflect evolving ideas on aesthetics, imagination, literary theory, and criticism that deeply influenced by Romanticism, Victorianism, and Modernism. Rather than requiring students to read entire works, only key excerpts and central arguments from these texts should be discussed. / 1. William Wordsworth – Preface to Lyrical Ballads (1800) / Why it's key: Wordsworth’s Preface is a foundational Romantic manifesto, redefining poetry by emphasizing emotion, imagination, and the ordinary experiences of life. / Core Contribution: It challenges neoclassical ideas of decorum and elevates the role of the poet as a creative genius, influencing later literary criticism. / 2. Samuel Taylor Coleridge – Biographia Literaria (1817) / Why it's key: Coleridge provides a philosophical and psychological framework for Romantic literary theory, blending German philosophy with English literary tradition. / Core Contribution: He introduces the concept of the "secondary imagination," explores poetic genius, and critically evaluates Wordsworth’s poetic theory. / 3. Matthew Arnold – The Function of Criticism at the Present Time (1864) / Why it's key: Arnold positions criticism as a tool for cultural and intellectual improvement, emphasizing the need for a disinterested, objective approach to literature. / Core Contribution: His work bridges Romanticism and Victorianism, focusing on the critic’s role in elevating culture and fostering intellectual clarity. / 4. John Ruskin – Modern Painters (1843–1860) / Why it's key: Though initially focused on art criticism, Ruskin’s work deeply influenced literary criticism, particularly in its emphasis on moral and spiritual dimensions. / Core Contribution: Ruskin connects aesthetic appreciation with ethical values, introducing ideas that resonate with Victorian literary theory. / 5. Oscar Wilde – The Critic as Artist (1891) / Why it's key: Wilde champions the role of the critic as an artist in their own right, arguing that criticism is as creative as the art it examines. / Core Contribution: Wilde’s work reflects the transition to aestheticism and modernism, challenging conventional notions of criticism. / 6. T.S. Eliot – Tradition and the Individual Talent (1919) / Why it's key: Eliot’s essay redefines literary tradition, emphasizing the relationship between individual creativity and the collective literary past. / Core Contribution: He argues for impersonality in art, rejecting Romantic notions of the poet’s personal expression, and introduces the concept of the "objective correlative." / 7. Virginia Woolf – Modern Fiction (1925) / Why it's key: Woolf critiques traditional Victorian realism, advocating for a more experimental, introspective approach to fiction. / Core Contribution: Her work reflects the modernist emphasis on stream-of-consciousness and psychological depth in literature
4 Introduction: The Victorian Age / Note: Students should be given an abridged version of the introductory section to this period. / Suggested writers and texts: / Alfred Lord Tennyson, Poems, Chiefly Lyrical / Tennyson, Poems / Thomas Carlyle / Robert Browning, Dramatic Lyrics / Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre / Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights / Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Barton and Nort and South / Tennyson, In Memoriam, “The Lotus Easters”, “Ulysses” and “Tithonus” / Elizabeth Barrett Browning / Christina Rossetti, Goblin Market / Mill, The Subjection of Women / Thomas Hardy / Shaw, Mrs. Warren’s Profession / Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest
5 Writing Workshop: / Writing “Personal Annotations and Reflections” and expanding them into “Reading Notes”. / Note: In Foundations of Literary Studies (ENG 2301) and Literary Criticism in Practice (ENG 2302), students practiced the “Five Common Writing Tasks in Literature Courses” that are defined by the Norton series. In this course (and the rest of the survey courses), students should continue to practice writing critical “Annotations” and developing them into “Reading Notes”. / The instructor can obtain a copy of the PowerPoint slides defining the “Five Common Writing Tasks in Literature Courses” from the department’s curricula committee. / For the Workshop to be effective, it is preferable that the assigned text be short and one that is unfamiliar the students so that they can read it and spontaneously respond to it in class without resorting to critical readings from external sources. The text can be chosen from the wide selection of canonical works in the assigned textbook. Students would be expected to write marginal notes on the text and then expand them into “Reading Notes”. The “Reading Notes” can be as short as one paragraph and as long as one page and they should critically respond to the following questions: / How do the formal and textual elements of the work contribute to its meaning? (close reading) / How does the text represent or reflect aspects of the literary period in which it was written? (contextual reading) / Both the marginal annotations and the expanded notes should be submitted in class. / The goal of this activity is to assign a writing task that is less demanding than an essay but one that will, nonetheless, allow students to further practice critical analysis in a spontaneous setting
6 Introduction: The Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries / Note: Students should be given an abridged version of the introductory section to this period. / Suggested writers and texts: / Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness / George Bernard Shaw, Pygmalion / Ezra Pound, “A Few Don’ts by an Imagiste” / T. S. Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” and The Waste Land / Gerard Manley Hopkins, Poems / Woolf, A Room of One’s Own / Doris Lessing, “To Room Nineteen” / W. H. Auden, Another Time and Collected Poems / Yates, “The Second Coming” and “The Second Coming” / Dylan Thomas / George Orwell, Animal Farm, Nineteen Eighty-Four and “Shooting an Elephant” / Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot / Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart / Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea / Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale / Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day and “A Village After Dark” / Caryl Phillips / Seamus Heaney: “Digging” (1966), “The Forge” (1969) / Hanif Kureishi: “My Son the Fanatic” (1997)
7 Midterm Examination and Quiz
1.1 Mapped to: K2

Identify and describe the formal and stylistic characteristics of British literary genres after 1789, tracing their evolution across historical periods and cultural movements.

Teaching Strategy Traditional lecturing. Reading critical articles. Seminars.
Assessment Methods Quizzes and exams.
1.2 Mapped to: K3

Recognize and compare the major texts, authors, and traditions of British literature after 1789 within their historical and cultural contexts, including the significant contributions of marginal or countercultural voices.

Teaching Strategy Traditional lecturing. Reading critical articles. Seminars.
Assessment Methods - Quizzes and exams. -Class discussion.
1.3 Mapped to: K4

Identify and explain key texts related to the development of literary critical theory in British literature after 1789.

Teaching Strategy Traditional lecturing. Engaging with other art forms in class and online. Reading critical articles.
Assessment Methods - Quizzes and exams. -Class discussion. -Online discussion.
2.1 Mapped to: S2 & S3

Interpret texts in light of the historical context and different critical perspectives while paying attention to the use of form and language.

Teaching Strategy - Traditional lecturing. - Class discussion. - Online discussion. - Reading analytical essays. - Seminars. - Interactive workshops.
Assessment Methods Open-book quizzes. Analytical exam questions. In-class writing task. Class discussion.
2.2 Mapped to: S2 & S3

Build well-constructed responses (creative or academic) that reflect independent and personal understanding of the selected texts.

Teaching Strategy - Traditional lecturing. - Reading analytical essays. - Research seminars. - Interactive workshops.
Assessment Methods In-class writing task.
3.1 Mapped to: V1

Demonstrate integrity, ethical behavior, and intellectual honesty in all academic, professional, and creative pursuits.

Teaching Strategy Traditional lecturing Reading scholarly articles.
Assessment Methods Class discussion. Projects Assignments
3.2 Mapped to: V2

Work autonomously and collaboratively with empathy, respect, and inclusivity to achieve shared goals.

Teaching Strategy Traditional lecturing Class discussion. Watching documentaries.
Assessment Methods Class discussion. Projects Assignments
Assessment
Weight
Midterm Exam: The exam should contain at least 5% subjective questions dedicated to measuring the students’ ability to analyze and think critically. Students should be held responsible for language mistakes. A “reasonable” percentage of the grade should be allocated to language and punctuation problems.
30%
Participation (Discussion in class and online): Students should be encouraged to speak up and express their opinion on a variety of topics and issues related to the course.
5%
Pop Quiz(zes) or an alternative in-class activity: This is to ensure that students are reading the assigned material and preparing for class discussion.
5%
A creative or academic response to selected multimedia content from the online textbook.
10%
Assignment: “Annotations and Reading Notes” Writing “Personal Annotations and Reflections” and expanding them into “Reading Notes”. Note: In Foundations of Literary Studies (ENG 2301) and Literary Criticism in Practice (ENG 2302), students practiced the “Five Common Writing Tasks in Literature Courses” that are defined by the Norton series. In this course (and the rest of the survey courses), students should continue to practice writing critical “Annotations” and developing them into “Reading Notes”. The instructor can obtain a copy of the PowerPoint slides defining the “Five Common Writing Tasks in Literature Courses” from the department’s curricula committee. For the Workshop to be effective, it is preferable that the assigned text be short and one that has not been previously read by the students so that they can read it and spontaneously respond to it in class. The text can be chosen from the wide selection of canonical works in the assigned textbook. Students would be expected to write marginal notes on the text and then expand them into “Reading Notes”. The “Reading Notes” can be as short as one paragraph and as long as one page and they should critically respond to the following questions: 1. How do the formal and textual elements of the work contribute to its meaning? (close reading) 2. How does the text represent or reflect aspects of the literary period in which it was written? (contextual reading) Both the marginal annotations and the expanded notes should be submitted in class. The goal of this activity is to assign a writing task that is less demanding than an essay but one that will, nonetheless, allow students to further practice critical analysis in a spontaneous setting. Topics, guidelines and deadlines should be specified at the beginning of the course. Assignments should be marked for structure, punctuation, content and proper citation of sources. A clear rubric should be followed.
10%
Final Exam: The exam should contain at least 10% subjective questions dedicated to measuring the students’ ability to analyze and think critically. Students should be held responsible for language mistakes. A “reasonable” percentage of the grade should be allocated to language and punctuation problems
40%
Total
100%