English 212 will explore the complementary relationships between technology, science, and mediation in the 18th and 19th centuries. Writing itself is a kind of mediation so by reading literature we’re already exploring one of our themes. But through a series of secondary readings, lectures, group work, and in-class discussions, we will conduct a more critical inquiry into the various ways art, technology, and science evolve. Through such an investigation, we will attempt to confirm whether or not these spheres are in fact interdependent, or autonomous.

English 212 will investigate texts through two hundred years of literature. We will begin with the Enlightenment period (Swift and Pope), moving into the preromantic (Sterne and Blake), followed by two romantic novels (Austen and Shelley), and we’ll close with a look at the Victorian novel (Eliot). Our final thoughts will be guided by Matthew Arnold’s lecture, “Literature and Science.” So not only should we ask ourselves how the early modern period interacts with the shifting technological landscape, we might consider what Enlightenment, Romantic, or Victorian ideas, if any, can help inform our technological situation today.

Course Materials:

Required*:

Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver’s Travels. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print. (ISBN: 0-19-280534-7)
Pope, Alexander. Alexander Pope: The Major Works. Ed. Pat Rogers. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print. (ISBN: 978-0-19-953761-7)
Sterne, Laurence. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy. Ed. Joan New. New York: Penguin, 2003. Print. (ISBN: 0141439777)
Blake, William. Blake’s Poetry and Designs. Eds. John E. Grant and Mary Lynn Johnson. New York: W&W Norton, 2007. Print. (ISBN: 039392498X)
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein (Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism). Ed. Johanna Smith. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. Print. (ISBN: 031219126X)
Austen, Jane. Persuasion. Ed. James Kinsley and Deidre Shauna Lynch. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print. (ISBN: 9780199535552)
Eliot, George. Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe. Ed. Terrance Cave. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. (ISBN: 0199536775)
Abrams, M.H. and Geoffrey Harpham. A Glossary of Literary Terms. Boston: Wadsworth Publishing, 2010. Print. (ISBN: 9780495898023)
*You will need to purchase the exact edition of Frankenstein for the essay we’ll be reading with it. Otherwise, you are not required to buy these editions; however, for the sake of convenience I highly recommend these editions. Shop early and shop used—many of these books are under ten dollars on Amazon. For the recommended glossary feel free to buy a slightly earlier edition. The 2004 edition can be purchased for less than a dollar online.