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| Semester | fall semester 2020 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Ladina Bezzola Lambert (ladina.bezzola@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Against all odds, this course has goodness at its heart - don't we all? The focus will be on the eighteenth-century sentimental novel and its doubting affirmation of the milk of human kindness. The wolf, however, is often lurking behind the next corner. Is he perhaps just a sheep in wolf's clothing? Can he be educated and tamed? Eighteenth-century sentimentalism might be seen as the bourgeois response to the the notion of 'homo homini lupus' ('man is a wolf to man') that justifies a protective Absolutism. If men and women are to trust each other, they need to build on or build up morals. - Are these innate in human nature (if perhaps in need of restoration) or can they be gained through education? How about the communicability of emotions and the possibility truly to know others and ourselves? Such questions are addressed by 18th-century moral philosophers and the novelists whose works will be studied in this course. Moral sentiments get easily cloying and hypocritical when presented with self-righteous smugness. The fine sense of humour and the radical originality that characterizes some of these novels offers better protection against satire and the inky sneers of aristocratic libertines like the Marquis de Sade, though perhaps at the cost of moral certainty. |
| Learning objectives | This course offers an opportunity to delve into the complicated social world of the eighteenth century and feel its trembling heart. |
| Bibliography | Samuel Richardson, "Pamela: Or, Virtue Rewarded" (1740) [recommended: Oxford World Classics edition]; Henry Mackenzie, "The Man of Feeling" (1771): [rec.: OWC ed.]; Laurence Sterne, "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman" (1759-67): in excerpts (provided); Sterne, "A Sentimental Journey" (1768): [rec.: OWC or Penguin ed.]; Tobias Smollett, "Humphrey Clinker" (1771) [rec.: OWC ed.]; Elizabeth Inchbald, "A Simple Story" (1791) [rec.: OWC ed.]; Jane Austen, "Sense and Sensibility" (1795/1811) [rec.: OWC ed.]; Marquis de Sade, "Justine, or The Misfortunes of Virtue" (1791): in excerpts (provided); other texts provided on ADAM. |
| Comments | ________________________________ Lehrveranstaltung mit Maskentragpflicht ________________________________ Start reading early! |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | Open only to MA and PhD students |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|
No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul: Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Literatur- und kulturwissenschaftliche Forschung (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Modul: Research in Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Regular attendance, presentation, active participation |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Englische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |