British Literature of the Restoration and Eighteenth Century

Read texts closely, showing sensitivity to vocabulary and language, tone, and imagery in reading texts; differentiate among points of view of characters, narrators, authors, readers (including the self), and critics.

Identify and investigate connections between literary texts and historical developments from the period, such as media revolution, postwar trauma and culture wars, modernity, the enlightenment.

Identify and compare the kinds of textual genres appearing during the period of the Restoration and eighteenth-century, analyzing how each form (especially satire) was used by the culture, and how classifications of literary and non-literary forms emerged and changed.

Use multiple contexts for interpretation and developing questions, e.g. historical, literary, aesthetic, theoretical, social/political, or ethical.

Create academic essays and written exercises that practice investigative, critical thinking, and interpretive processes, from formulating questions to arriving at insights, using literary terms appropriately.

Gain confidence in thinking independently of the instructor and of published texts, especially by recognizing when they have ideas.

Begin to relate to works that embody unfamiliar behaviors, values, perspectives, and ambiguities, especially by developing an imagination for historically distant experiences.

Compare and contrast literary styles from the eighteenth century with earlier and later periods, building acquaintance with a broad range of the literature in the field, both in terms of it diversity and its integrating traditions (the continuities that bring it together).

Develop an awareness of language as constantly changing and fundamental to cultural expression and apply this recognition in interpreting early modern texts.

Debate the nature of the canon of classics and of canon-formation, including issues of culture, history, personal identity, and the nature of literature.

Participate in classroom activities and discussion so as to practice learning and conversation as process, from inventing questions to pursuing ideas step by step.