106-058 Sex, Sentiment & the 18th Century Novel

Formerly available as 106-284/384. Students who have completed 106-284 or 106-384 are not eligible to enrol in this subject.

Usually 25 points of first-year English, see Prerequisites, or first-year women's studies, see Prerequisites.

This subject traces the development of the English novel during the 18th century, focusing on its construction of masculinity and femininity, through the discourses of sexuality and sentiment. Social, cultural and economic constituents of the 'rise of the novel' will be examined, as will popular, romance and pornographic components of the bourgeois novel. Students who complete this subject will be familiar with the current theories about the construction of subjectivity, sexuality and sentimentality in this genre and will have developed their own critical readings of a range of 18th century English texts.

Class participation, and written work totalling 4000 words.

A subject reader will be available.

• J Austen, Sense and Sensibility. World's Classics.
• F Burney, Evelina. World's Classics.
• J Cleland, Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure. World's Classics.
• D Defoe, Moll Flanders. World's Classics.
• S Richardson, Pamela. Penguin.
• L Sterne, A Sentimental Journey. World's Classics.