| Unit name | Romantic Poetry and Poetics |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGLM3009 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Bennett |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of English |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
The unit examines British literature through the lens of nature, culture and society in the ‘age of revolutions’.
We focus on the remarkable wealth of original poetry and other writing published between c.1780 and c.1830 – a period that saw the American and French revolutions; war with France; Paine’s radical Rights of Man and Wollstonecraft’s ground-breaking Rights of Woman; the Irish rebellion against British colonial rule; the abolition of the slave trade; increasing urbanization and industrialization; the invention of the steam-powered printing press; and other key political, cultural, and technological developments. Literary and aesthetic breakthroughs such as the Romantic ‘revolution’ in poetic language, generic deformations and reformulations, the aesthetics of the sublime, the invention of modern gothic, experiments in poetic form and advances in poetics and literary theory are considered within the wider historical and cultural contexts of gender, class and nationhood, and an emerging ecological sensibility.
Your learning on this unit
This unit provides an advanced introduction to the study of British literature of the Romantic period (c.1780-1830). Students develop their understanding of key canonical Romantic poems and other writings; they engage with recent debates surrounding definitions of Romanticism as a literary movement; and they learn about the contemporary reception of Romantic-period writers. Students engage in depth with a wide range of writers from the period as well as with critical and theoretical debates about their work in the context of key historical and cultural factors.
This unit will provide a foundation for the study of writing in the Romantic period, particularly the poetry. It will introduce students to the basic ideas and texts for: an understanding of canonical Romantic poetry; recent debates surrounding definitions of Romanticism as a literary movement; the contemporary reception of Romantic writers. Students will engage in depth with major poets of the specified period and with the significant body of critical and theoretical debate surrounding their work. Historical and cultural contexts will be explored, as will the issue of so-called ‘confessional’ poetry as it pertains to a number of writers to be considered on the course.
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous activities. These can include seminars, lectures, class discussion, formative tasks, small group work, and self-directed exercises.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
1 x 4000 word essay (100%);
Tasks which do not count towards your unit mark but are required for credit (zero-weighted):
1000 word presentation (0%)
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. ENGLM3009).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
