410F W19 Easton

English 410F (01) Eighteenth-Century Women Writers

Winter 2019

Dr. F. Easton

T Th 1:00-2:20 pm

ML 246

Course Description

In this course we will read a selection of exciting and significant works by women writers from Aphra Behn to Jane Austen.  Eighteenth-century literature is dynamic, social, and modern. It is the period in which many contemporary genres of literature, such as the novel and biography, and in which many popular forms, such as the Gothic and the sentimental are invented. But it is also a period in which the woman writer comes into her own in English, in which a women’s tradition of writing is established, and in which issues that seem very contemporary to us today about the construction of gender, marriage, female consciousness, female experience, and women’s rights were first addressed in literature. For a long time after the end of the eighteenth century this fact was forgotten, and when feminist scholars began to recover the tradition of women’s writing, they often started with Austen and went from her directly to the Victorians. But this course covers authors up to Austen and will aim to show you, among other things, just how many foremothers that great author had.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course students will:

1. Have a sophisticated grasp of some key works by women writers from Aphra Behn to Jane Austen.
2. Understand some of the principal developments in the literary history of the period 1660- 1800, especially with respect to women’s writing.
3. Be familiar with a range of critical approaches to eighteenth-century women’s writing.
4. Practice constructing insightful, well-evidenced, and clearly-formed arguments about literary works in general, and women’s writing in particular.
5. Communicate verbally ideas and insights about women’s writing clearly and effectively.
6. Develop advanced skills in literary research and analysis.

Logistics

Office: Hagey Hall 267, ext. 33359

Office hours: Tues. 4:00-5:00 pm, Thurs. 11:00 am to 12:00 noon, or by appointment

Email: easton@uwaterloo.ca

Required Texts

Robert DeMaria, Jr., ed., British Literature 1640-1789, 4^th ed. (Wiley, 2016)

Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey, Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon (Oxford World’s Classics, 2008)

Maria Edgeworth, Castle Rackrent (Oxford World’s Classics)

Anne Radcliffe, A Sicilian Romance (Oxford World’s Classics)

Assignments

Attendance and active preparation for and participation in class discussions and exercises (10%); in-class midterm essay or 15-minute presentation (your choice = 20%); term paper (30%); and a final examination (40%).

Students will prepare course readings ahead of the relevant classes and will actively participate in class discussions and exercises. Class exercises may include short written or spoken responses to the texts we are studying. Presentations, for those who choose to deliver one, will be scheduled for dates starting in the third week of classes; they will take the form of an explication of a suitable work by an eighteenth-century woman writer that is not already on our syllabus (this can either be a work by a writer not on the syllabus or a work that is not on the syllabus by a writer who is).

For those who choose to write it, the midterm will be held on February 14. The term paper will be due at the start of class on March 28. Papers will be returned in class or at the final examination.

Course Expectations

Participation and Attendance:

Participation and attendance are required for this course. To receive full marks for attendance, you will need to come to class. If you must miss a class due to illness or a family emergency, you will need to provide formal documentation such as that offered via Health Services or Counselling Services

To receive full marks for participation in this course, you will need to engage actively in class discussions and activities. Keep in mind that in most workplaces, as well as in academic contexts, it is commonplace to work in teams to craft communications or to speak to large or small groups on various matters--so these academic activities in class are relevant to your success right now on co-op terms as well as to your future working life. Nevertheless, if you feel anxiety about formal or informal public speaking, please meet with your instructor in the first week of class to discuss accommodations.

Generally speaking, such accommodations may include weekly goals for increasing participation over the course of the term and alternative forms of participation. Failure to participate without having arranged for accommodations or without meeting the requirements of your arranged accommodation will result in deductions to your grade.

Electronic Devices

Use of electronic devices is not permitted at class meetings in this course. Phones and tablets must be turned off and stowed, and laptops must remain closed. Any accommodations for the regular use of electronic devices in this class must be requested in the first week of classes.

Course Text

The required texts for this course are mandated for all readings and assignments and you must use them only. In particular, Robert DeMaria’s British Literature 1640- 1789, 4^th ed. is an outstanding one-volume collection of eighteenth-century literature’s “greatest hits,” including women’s texts, and comes with excellent introductions to each writer and solid explanatory notes. We’ll be using DeMaria’s anthology as our main text (apart from the three novels) because of its excellence, of course, but also because we need to have a set anthology in order to have reliable course texts and uniform translations, uniform selections, and uniform page references for all of our readings.

Late Policy

Barring a serious medical reason that is formally documented from Health or Counselling Services, all late assignments will be penalized 5 points for the first day, and 2 points for every day thereafter, including weekend days and holidays, and uncompleted or missed assignments will be graded 0 points.

Paper Format

Papers must follow MLA format, be typed, double-spaced, printed out on one side of the page, and fastened with a staple (DO NOT use plastic report folders or other fasteners or covers); please do not use right justification. Papers must follow the format for paper presentation, quotations, and references set out in the MLA Handbook, 8^th ed.

Note: Please keep a copy of every assignment you submit to me, and NEVER hand a paper or any other assignment in by sliding it under (or sticking it to) my office door.

Plagiarism

Students must follow at all times both University and Faculty regulations on plagiarism (see especially Policy 71). Note, in particular, that all must be your own, and the words and ideas of others must appear within your work inside quotation marks and with complete references. Demonstrated instances of plagiarism in your work for this course will be subject to academic penalties. (See below for more information on academic integrity.)

Additional Information Academic Integrity and Discipline

Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. See the UWaterloo Academic Integrity webpage for more information.

Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. Check the Office of Academic Integrity for more information. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 – Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline. For typical penalties check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties.

Grievance and Appeals

Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4. When in doubt, please be certain to contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.

Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72 - Student Appeals.

Accommodation for Students with Disabilities

Syllabus

Note: all course readings (apart from novels and handouts) are from Robert DeMaria, Jr., ed., British Literature 1640-1789, 4^th ed. (Wiley, 2016)

January 8: Introduction: From Aphra Behn to Jane Austen

January 10: Prelude: New Contexts, New Energies:

• Behn, “The Disappointment” (in DeMaria); “Epilogue” to Sir Patient Fancy (H = handout)
• Finch, “The Introduction”

1. Utopias and Dystopias

January 15 & 17: The Status of Women:

• Cavendish, from The Description of a New World, called the Blazing World
• Behn, “The Golden Age”
• Astell, from A Serious Proposal to the Ladies
• Chudleigh, “To the Ladies” (H)

January 22 & 24: Women’s Powers:

• Philips, “To Mrs. Wogan, My Honoured Friend, on the Death of Her Husband,” “Orinda to Lucasia,” “Parting with Lucasia: A Song”
• Collier, “The Woman’s Labour”

2. The Rights of Woman

January 29 & 31 and February 5: The Bechdel Test

• Behn, The Rover; or, The Banished Cavaliers

February 7 & 12: (Re)Placing Men

• Behn, “Epistle to the Reader” from The Dutch Lover (H); “To the Fair Clarinda, Who Made Love to me, Imagined More than Woman” (DeMaria)
• Finch, “The Unequal Fetters,” “The Answer,” “The Spleen”
• Montagu, “The Reasons that Induced Dr. S[wift] to Write a Poem Called the Lady’s Dressing Room”