English 411: British Literature, 1660-1740Spring 2007 This class meets on MWF 11:00-11:50 in Smith, room 202. I hold office hours on Mondays & Wednesdays from 2:00-3:30, Thursdays from 11:00-1:00, and by appointment COURSE DESCRIPTIONBetween the years 1660-1740 British literary culture changed in many significant ways. An unprecedented increase in the production or printed material led to new classes of readers, writers, and literary genres. Audiences in the first forty years of the period had the privilege of watching some of the best plays ever written in English, especially comedy. A new form of fiction emerged for the first time and became extremely popular: the novel. Periodicals—first newspapers and then magazines—began to be produced, providing a lively venue for debates about matters of public interest. And caustic political and social satire became amusing hobbies that also sought to effect real change. These and other developments will be our concerns as we read a broad selection of material this semester. Students are expected to think for themselves, to form strong opinions, to disagree, to argue persuasively and eloquently when they speak and when they write. DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE SYLLABUS: HANDOUTS: |