The English Novel

 “Representative English novels with focus on the development of the genre, major themes, and techniques.”  This course will follow the development of the novel as a legitimate genre in the eighteenth century to the development of literary/film adaptation in the twentieth-century.  We will consider the historical contexts of each work and will examine the influences of politics, gender, class, commodity culture, and the developing notion of authorship shaped each work.  Our list of works is by no means comprehensive, but it is meant to provide the class with an overview of the complexities of the novel as a form.  Accordingly, we will study the Gothic novel, the epistolary novel, psychological thrillers, historical fiction, national tales, the novel of manners, the social novel, detective fiction, the modern novel, and will finally conclude with a twentieth-century textual “adaptation” of a nineteenth-century novel. 

Required Books:

Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto (1757), Broadview Press

Frances Burney,  Evelina, or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World (1778),

Norton Critical Edition

Maria Edgeworth, Castle Rackrent (1800), Penguin Classics

Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (1813), Penguin Classics

James Hogg, Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (1814), Broadview press

Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Barton (1848), Broadview press

Wilkie Collins, The Moonstone (1868), Penguin Classics

Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway (1925), Harcourt

Helen Fielding, Bridget Jones’ Diary (1996), Penguin

Assignments:

Adaptation papers (2- 10% each)   20%

Article Presentation                          15%

Critical Response Paper                   20%

Final Paper                                        30%

Discussion Questions,

Class Activities, Quizzes                    15%

Grading Scale

F: 0-59, D: 60-69, C: 70-79, B: 80-89, A: 90-100

Paper Format

Unless otherwise specified, essays should be typed, double-spaced on bond paper, according to MLA referencing guidelines.  Papers that are not stapled or paper clipped will not be accepted.

Completion of Assignments and Late Papers

You must complete all assignments in the sequence outlined on this syllabus in order to receive a passing grade in this course. 

• Papers must be in MLA format.  Please use a Writer’s Handbook if you need a refresher on MLA format.  I will not accept papers that are not in MLA format.
• Late papers will be penalized.  In the event of a personal or professional emergency, you must contact me prior to the due date and class meeting time. 
• Unauthorized late papers will result in a penalty of one lowered letter grade sequentially every twenty-four hours from the original due date, including weekends. 
• In-class work, quizzes, homework, and major assignments may not be made up in cases of unexcused absences.  Papers should not be submitted outside of class (for example, left under the door).

Late Papers

You are required to submit assignments to me in class on due dates listed on this syllabus.  Late submission of assignments will result in a deduction of 10 points per day late.  Papers submitted outside of class (for example, left under the door or left in the wrong office) will receive a grade of zero.

Attendance:

• Come to class; it’s that simple. You are expected to meet class according to the times published in the fall schedule of classes.
• Attendance will be taken at the beginning of class.  To have credit for attendance, students who arrive in class after attendance is checked (first five minutes) must provide evidence (documentation) to substantiate their late arrival.  Otherwise, late arrivals will be marked as absent.
• Participation and attendance go hand in hand, and participation includes not only speaking and contributing to classroom discussion, but also completing the reading and assignments on time.  Please come to class prepared to discuss the assignments for that day and prepared to contribute to the overall conversation of the course.
• You are responsible for getting notes from a classmate for any class information you may have missed.
• Quizzes, in-class writing, or other missed work may not be made up if the absence is unexcused, and homework will not be accepted late. 
• For excused absences, students will have one week to make up the missed work.
• If you miss more than 6 classes, you will fail the class.

Plagiarism Policy

• Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s thoughts, words, ideas, or lines of argument in your own work without appropriate documentation (a parenthetical citation at the end and a listing in "Works Cited")–whether you use that material in a quotation, paraphrase, or summary. It is a theft of intellectual property and will not be tolerated, whether intentional or not.  
• You are responsible for understanding how to use sources in an ethical fashion, as well as understand the difference between quotation and paraphrase.  If you have questions about using and documenting sources, please consult a Writer’s Handbook or ask me. 
• Papers that fail to attribute sources properly will receive a grade of 0 and I will follow the University’s reporting procedures.
• You may not turn in assignments submitted for credit in other courses.

For additional Policies please see the print version of the syllabus.