The Early English Novel (Pre-1800)

How did the novel go from being a despised and ridiculed upstart to the most dynamic and widely admired literary genre in the course of less than a hundred years? What historical events, social developments, and acts of genius first gave rise to the form of writing that continues to flourish and transform itself three centuries later? This course covers the painful birth, awkward adolescence, and astounding coming-of-age of the novel through an investigation of its earliest practitioners, including Defoe, Richardson, Fielding, Austen, and authors of the Gothic. 3 hrs. lect./3 hrs. disc.