English 103B—Lecture 1

The Late Enlightenment and the Origins of British Romanticism

1. The Course: British Literature from 1789 to 1900.

1. The Point of a Survey Course
2. Course Objectives
3. Course Requirements

1. Two Essays, in proper MLA style.
2. A Midterm and a Final.
3. Attendance and Participation.
4. Your Professor and the TAs

2. The Age of Reason? René Descartes (1596-1650) and Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)

1. The Unreasonable Past
2. British Social and Economic Conditions, Reasonable and Unreasonable
3. British Political Theory and British Empricism: John Locke (1632-1704)

3. The Other Side of the Channel: French Social and Economic Conditions
4. What is Romanticism?

1. From Religion and Politics to Poetry and Art
2. The Importance of Romanticism