This course spans an historical era of enormous range and significance: from the French Revolution in 1789 to the mid-twentieth century; from Romanticism to Modernism and after. This is a vast literary-historical panorama, and yet there are many discernible, essential and vital continuities between the writers and texts on this course. These major writers and especially challenging texts have been amongst the most influential of all in setting the agenda for modern literary practice in our language, as well as for modern conceptions and theories of literature. Writers studied will include Wordsworth, Byron, Yeats, Eliot and Joyce.

On satisfying the requirements for this course, students will have knowledge of key currents of thought in milestones of the Romantic, Victorian and Modernist periods of British literary history. They will have enhanced skills in literary analysis and evaluation as well as in oral and written presentation of argument.

Tutorial Participation (10%); 1,500 word Essay (40%); and 2,500 word Essay (50%).

Contact hours include 20 hours of lectures and 12 one-hour tutorials.

Students might reasonably expect to spend 6 hours each week outside of contact hours on reading/preparation/assessment tasks.

This course is open to all students but is required for Honours.

Students should have passed 2 first year English courses at distinction level before enrolling in this one.

Any two English courses.

The Norton Anthology of English Literature, 8th edn., vol. 2.