Literature and Culture of the Eighteenth Century 8211 Paving the Way to Modernity

The eighteenth century saw many changes in politics, society, cultural life and literature that can be regarded as the starting point for developments, positions or values that are taken for granted as the norm today. For example, one could think of the rise of the middle class, the increasing importance of Parliament, the beginning of industrialization, the emergence of printed mass media and – connected with it – a literary public sphere, or the development of the nuclear family ideal. Landscape gardening created images of an 'English' landscape that are still recognized as such today. In literature, the century brought forth new genres, such as the periodical, the novel, or a literature especially designed for and aimed at children. Neo-Classicism, the Enlightenment, the Age of Sensibility or Romanticism are labels for major strands of thought in this century, which have left behind legacies intellectuals and thinkers still reconsider today. This lecture seeks to explore the wealth of eighteenth-century literature in relation to these cultural, intellectual and socio-political developments. Individual sessions will deal with the creation of a literary public sphere, the significance of periodicals for proliferating the norms and values of the rising middle class, the changes in the theatrical landscape, and the development of poetry from the satirical and didactic writings of Pope and Swift to the less rational lyrics of the Graveyard Poets. A large section will be devoted to the rise of the novel (including female novelists such as Aphra Behn, Eliza Haywood or Frances Burney), which can be regarded as the genre where the middle class found its means of expressing and popularizing their values and moral norms. Sessions on children's literature and the new family ideal as well as on visual and literary representations of 'English' landscape will complete the picture. A list of recommended reading to accompany the lecture will be given in the first session. Anglistik 2 Kreditpunkte: regular attendance and 2-credit-exam (4 short quizzes during the term) 5 Kreditpunkte: regular attendance and 5-credit-exam (4 short quizzes during the term, one longer written test at the end) Universität Siegen 20101 SoSe 2010 Univ.-Prof. Dr. Müller Anja