13332 - English Literature (1) (M-Z)

Learning outcomes

Course contents

Monarchy and Republic in the history of English literature: from the Renaissance to Romanticism

The course will consider the long-lasting debate about the two opposed forms of government, namely Monarchy and Republic, that took place in England between the XVI and XIX century. From the age of Henry VII (1485-1509) and that of Charles I (1625-1649), passing through the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the course will also consider the strong institutional crisis connected to the French Revolution. The course will provide students with a wide historical and cultural background of England and, more in general, of Great Britain through the examination of a number of texts and documents. During the course a number of writers who discussed about the opposition Monarchy/Republic will be considered, among whom: Edmund Spenser, William Shakespeare, John Milton, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacque Rousseau, Edmund Burke, William Godwin, Thomas Paine, P. B. Shelley, Lord Byron, Leigh Hunt, Mary Russel Mitford.

Readings/Bibliography

PRIMARY TEXTS

Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, 1590

John Milton, The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, 1650

Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, 1651.

John Locke, Second Treatise on Civil Government, 1690

Jean-Jacque Rousseau, Du Contrat Social, 1762

Edmund Burke, Reflection on the Revolution in France, 1790

William Godwin, Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, 1793

Thomas Paine, Rights of Man, 1791

P. B. Shelley, A Philosophical View of Reform, 1821

Leigh Hunt, The Examiner, 1808-22

Mary Russel Mitford, Charles I, 1834

 

CRITICAL TEXTS

Lilla Maria Crisafulli, La Rivoluzionefrancese in Inghilterra , Liguori 1990.

Marilyn Butler, Romantics, Rebels and Reactionaries, Oxford University Press, 1981.

Marilyn Butler, Burke, Paine, Godwin, and the Revolution Controversy , CUP, 1984.

Lorenzo d'Avack, Dal Regno alla Repubblica: Studi sullo Sviluppo della Coscienza Costituzionale in Inghilterra, A. Giuffrè, 1984.

Storia della Letteratura e Cultura Inglese, a cura di Lilla Maria Crisafulli e Keir Elam, BUP, Bologna, 2009

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons, analysis of texts and documents. Audio/Video equipment will also be used.

Assessment methods

The exam will consist in a written test, that will include both multiple choice questions and open questions.

Teaching tools

Audio-visual equipment; Power-Point Projection; texts, photocopies and other documents will be provided during the course

Office hours

See the website of Lilla Maria Crisafulli