ENGL 436 - Johnson and His Circle

A study of British literature of the later 18th century. During the latter part of the 18th century, there was an expansion of the definition of “literature.” The new genre of fiction became both more popular and more respected; new importance was attached to literary criticism and the essay; and literary biography emerged as a significant genre. Texts include the writings of the poet, literary critic, lexicographer, and biographer Samuel Johnson; those of his biographer James Boswell, who was also one of the most important autobiographers in history; the first epistolary novel, Evelina, by Johnson’s protegée Frances Burney; and Tristram Shandy, the first “anti-novel,” by their contemporary Laurence Sterne. (Pre-1800 course.)

Credits: 1.00
Corequisite: None
Prerequisites: None
Major/Minor Restrictions: None
Class Restriction: No First-year, Sophomore
Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
Liberal Arts CORE: None

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