Skip to main content

Unit information: Literature in its Time 3: Romantic and Victorian Poetry in 2016/17

Please note: you are viewing unit and programme information for a past academic year. Please see the current academic year for up to date information.

Unit name Literature in its Time 3: Romantic and Victorian Poetry
Unit code ENGL30027
Credit points 20
Level of study H/6
Teaching block(s) Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director Dr. Gareth Griffith
Open unit status Not open
Pre-requisites

None

Co-requisites

None

School/department Department of English
Faculty Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

This unit will introduce students to the range and diversity of writing in the Romantic and Victorian periods, including both canonical and lesser known authors. There will be a particular emphasis on poetry, though prose writings will also be considered. Topics covered may include the difficulty of defining romanticism; female poets of the period; Poetry and Europe; Poetry and war; politics; parody; and the relationship between literature and other art forms.

Aims:

The unit aims to improve and extend students understanding of writings in the Romantic period, with a particular emphasis on poetry. A range of relevant concepts and contexts will be considered in detail, and students will be expected to relate particular works to broader themes and ideas. The unit aims to extend students ongoing appreciation of the chronology and historical development of literature in English.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Successful students will be able to

1) analyse a wide range of writings of the Romantic and Victorian periods

2) critically examine a range of relevant topics (for example, politics, parody, war, and Europe

3) place this period in the wider context of literature in English

4) communicate their ideas about these issues effectively

5) present a persuasive written argument

Teaching Information

10 x 3-hour seminars (1 per week)

Assessment Information

One 2000 word essay (40%) [ILOs 1-5]

One 3000 word essay (60%) [ILOs 1-5]

Reading and References

  • William Blake, Songs of Innocence and Experience.
  • Wordsworth and Coleridge, Lyrical Ballads.
  • Byron, Don Juan.
  • Tennyson, In Memoriam.

Feedback