Undergraduate Course: Robert Burns and the Eighteenth Century (ENLI10336)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course places the work of Robert Burns in the context of the main currents of eighteenth-century thought and culture in Britain. It will add a course concentrating on Scottish Literature to the department's existing eighteenth-century provision. The dual purpose of this course is to introduce students to the work of Robert Burns and, by placing his writing in the context of the texts that he read and responded to, to eighteenth-century British culture more generally. Particular attention will be given to the ways in which different genres and modes of writing register the cultural politics of modernity in this period. |
| Course description |
The dual purpose of this course is to introduce students to the work of Robert Burns and, by placing his writing in the context of the texts that he read and responded to, to eighteenth-century British culture more generally. Particular attention will be given to the ways in which different genres and modes of writing register the cultural politics of modernity in this period. The course begins by looking at a selection of the genres that Burns inherited from the past, medieval (the 'peasant-brawl' poem with its 'carnival' values), classical (pastoral and satire) and early eighteenth century (verse epistle). It then proceeds to look at Burns's engagement with the categories of more recent, Enlightenment, culture: the poet as 'bard', anxieties regarding the impact of commerce; sentimentalism; and the revaluation of 'liberty' in the context of the French Revolution. The course ends with a discussion of Burns's treatment of sex in the light of Henry Fielding's great novel, Tom Jones.
|
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | A MINIMUM of 4 college/university level literature courses at grade B or above (should include no more than one introductory level literature course). Related courses such as civilisation or other interdisciplinary classes, Freshman Year Seminars or composition/creative writing classes/workshops are not considered for admission to this course. Applicants should also note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission. In making admissions decisions preference will be given to students who achieve above the minimum requirement with the typical visiting student admitted to this course having 4 literature classes at grade A.
** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course ** |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes:
In addition to the skills training common to all English Literature Honours-level courses (essay-writing, independent reading, group discussion, oral presentation, small-group autonomous learning) this course aims to develop the student's understanding of:
(i) the development of poetic form in the eighteenth century;
(ii) the interrelationships between verse, fiction and philosophical writing in this period;
(iii) the relationship of literary writing to the politics of Britain and empire in this period.
|
Reading List
Robert Burns, Selected Poems and Songs ed. Robert P. Irvine (World¿s Classics 2013).
David Fairer and Christine Gerrard, eds, Eighteenth-Century Poetry: An Annotated Anthology. Second Edition (Blackwell 2004).
Christopher MacLachlan, ed. Before Burns: Eighteenth-Century Scottish Poetry (Canongate 2002).
Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling ed. Thomas Keymer and Alice Wakely (Penguin 2005). PLEASE be sure to buy this edition of the novel: the most reliable text, usefully annotated. Class discussion of such a long text is greatly facilitated if we are all looking for the same page numbers.
John Gay, The Beggar¿s Opera ed. Bryan Loughrey and T.O. Treadwell (Penguin 1986)
Henry Mackenzie, The Man of Feeling ed. Brian Vickers (World¿s Classics 2001) |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Robert Irvine
Tel: (0131 6)50 3605
Email: R.P.Irvine@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms June Cahongo
Tel: (0131 6)50 3620
Email: J.Cahongo@ed.ac.uk |
|
|
University Homepage