Jane Austen is one of the most loved authors of the long eighteenth century, but she is often read as an isolated genius, a woman whose greatness transcended her own era. In this class, we will deepen our understanding of Austen’s craft by reading her alongside other authors who were major influences on her work. In the process, we will learn about how eighteenth-century women authors thought about what life was like for women of their time—and especially, how they thought about their struggles in relation to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, during the era of abolition. As we contemplate the continuing popularity of Austen’s works, we will ponder how her novels speak to our own historical moment: how they inform the way we think about love, marriage, independence, good manners, and what the world is like.
Texts
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
Sophia, Charlotte Lennox
Evelina, Frances Burney
Belinda, Maria Edgeworth
The Woman of Colour, Anonymous
Mansfield Park, Jane Austen
Major Assignments
- Weekly blog posts
- Periodic short writing assignments (1-3 pages). You will complete 7 of these (due dates are on the schedule below), and at least 2 of them must be from List B (I will provide a list with more detailed explanations for each assignment). You can pick which one you do when, but each assignment can only be done once (so, you can’t write 3 alternate ending papers). And by the end, you need to write about at least 4 of the novels (so they can’t all be about Pride and Prejudice).
You are welcome to revise assignments for a higher grade, but you need to do so within one week of getting it back from me.
List A List B
AITA post Comparison of two texts
Twitter feed of a character Analysis of film adaptation/modern retelling
Missing letter from a character Analysis of a specific scene
Deleted scene Examining how a theme/issue changes
Alternate ending Analysis of representation of class
Tinder (or Grindr) profile Analysis of representation of race
Buzzfeed-style list Analysis of representation of gender
Rewrite a scene from another perspective Expand a blog post into an essay
Or suggest your own topic/form — just run it by me first!
- Final paper, length optional, explaining how the course has changed the way you read Jane Austen.
(Provisional) Schedule
Wednesday, September 9, 2020 Hello! Introductions, etc
Friday, September 11, 2020 Pride and Prejudice 41-84 (up to Ch xi)
Monday, September 14, 2020 Pride and Prejudice 84-141 (up to end of vl 1)
Wednesday, September 16, 2020 Pride and Prejudice 158-189 (up to end of vl 2, ch xi)
Friday, September 18, 2020 Pride and Prejudice 189-224 (up to end of vl 2)
Monday, September 21, 2020 Pride and Prejudice, 225-274 (up to Ch viii)
Short assignment due before class
Wednesday, September 23, 2020 Pride and Prejudice, to the end
Friday, September 25, 2020 Sophia 53-90
Monday, September 28, 2020 Sophia 90-127
Wednesday, September 30, 2020 127-157
Friday, October 2, 2020 Sophia -end
Monday, October 5, 2020 Evelina 87-133
Short assignment due before class
Wednesday, October 7, 2020 Evelina 133-185
Friday, October 9, 2020 Evelina 185-242
Monday, October 12, 2020 Evelina 243-279
Wednesday, October 14, 2020 Evelina 279-313
Friday, October 16, 2020 Evelina 313-365
Monday, October 19, 2020 Evelina 365-428
Short assignment due before class
Wednesday, October 21, 2020 Evelina 428-461
Friday, October 23, 2020 Evelina 461-496
Monday, October 26, 2020 Evelina 497-end
Wednesday, October 28, 2020 Belinda 7-63
Friday, October 30, 2020 Belinda 63-98
Monday, November 2, 2020 Belinda 98-148
Short assignment due before class
Wednesday, November 4, 2020 Belinda 151-204
Friday, November 6, 2020 Belinda 204-260
Monday, November 9, 2020 Belinda 261-295
Wednesday, November 11, 2020 Belinda 296-355
Friday, November 13, 2020 Belinda 356-end
Monday, November 16, 2020 The Woman of Colour 53-93
Short assignment due before class
Wednesday, November 18, 2020 The Woman of Colour 94-146
Friday, November 20, 2020 The Woman of Colour 147-end
Monday, November 23, 2020 Mansfield Park 33-89 (end of Ch 6)
Monday, November 30, 2020 Mansfield Park 90-190 (end of vl 1)
Short assignment due before class
Wednesday, December 2, 2020 Mansfield Park 193-241 (end of Ch 23)
Friday, December 4, 2020 Mansfield Park 242-289 (end of Ch 28)
Monday, December 7, 2020 Mansfield Park 290-338 (end of Ch 33)
Short assignment due before class
Wednesday, December 9, 2020 Mansfield Park 339-376 (end of Ch 38)
Friday, December 11, 2020 Mansfield Park 377 -420 (end of Ch 43)
Monday, December 14, 2020 Mansfield Park 420-468
Final Paper Due Friday, December 18
Kasia Reads 