This course will focus on a variety of texts from the English Restoration (1660) through the mid-1700s. We will read both “high literature,” such as Milton’s Paradise Lost, and “low literature,” including stories about prostitutes and criminals, in order to question the difference between the two types. Besides our primary text, we will also read a good amount of contemporary contextual material.

The class will be a combination of lecture and discussion. You should expect quite a bit of reading, including a good deal of poetry, fiction and nonfiction prose—also, be aware that the dates of our texts mean that our reading will be, in some ways, substantially different from the kind of writing with which most of us are familiar and will thus pose difficulties for some. You should also be prepared to participate regularly in discussion. Please expect a midterm and a final exam, and a short paper (5 pp.).

Note for current and prospective English majors: this class will satisfy your pre-1900 requirement. Please keep in mind, however, that as a 200-level class it will be geared primarily toward non-majors.

Texts:
• Norton Anthology of English Literature Volume C (Norton), 9780393912517
• Paradise Lost (Parallel Prose Edition) (Broadview Press), 9781554810970
• Moll Flanders (Broadview Press), 9781551114514
• Joseph Andrews (Broadview Press), 9781551112206