Lektürekurs Eighteenth Century British Novels Robinson Crusoe Tom Jones Humphry Clinker

WÜ Reading Course: Eighteenth-Century British Novels 2st. Mi 12 – 14, 154 RG The eighteenth century marks an important early stage in the development of the novel in English. Fielding's Tom Jones and Smollett's Humphry Clinker present a highly entertaining panorama of British society in the century when -Great Britain- as a political unit was born. By contrast, Defoe's Robinson Crusoe centres on a sole survivor and on Man Alone, but also has a global outlook, and tells of colonialism and slavery. Seen from a different angle, the three novels chosen may moreover serve to illustrate char­ac­teristic forms of the genre and significant experiments within a 'new province of writing'. Although not all parts of the novels will be paid the same attention to, participants will have to read some 90 pages at home during the week. The discussion (in English) of the passages read will be in the centre of each week's session. Texts: participants are free to choose their edition, for example those: Defoe, Daniel. 1965. Robinson Crusoe. 1719. Ed. Angus Ross (Penguin Classics). Harmondsworth: Penguin. Fielding, Henry. 1966. Tom Jones. 1749. Ed. R.P.C. Mutter (Penguin Classics). Harmondsworth: Penguin. Smollett, Tobias. 1984. Humphry Clinker. 1771. Ed. Lewis M. Knapp, rev. by Paul-Gabriel Boucé (World's Classics). Oxford: OUP. Department III - Anglistik und Amerikanistik LMU München SoSe 2015 Prof.Dr. Nowak Helge