The Eighteenth-Century Novel

Catalog description

Before the eighteenth century, the novel in English didn't exist; by the end of the century, novel reading was so popular that critics worried that readers were neglecting their jobs and families in favor of the latest bestseller. This course focuses on the political, historical, and cultural changes that both led to and resulted from the novel's emergence. Authors may include Defoe, Haywood, Richardson, Fielding, Burney, and Austen.This course may serve as the capstone for the liberal arts English minor.