I'm getting really excited about the syllabus myself. *g*
Inchbald's a playwright (mostly comedies) and novelist; A Simple Story is the only one of her works I've read. It's about a priest and his young, worldly, flirtatious ward; they fall in love but conceal their feelings because of his calling, until he inherits a peerage, at which point they marry and then things go bad (to put it mildly). The novel's interesting largely because it rather precariously combines upfront didacticism (girls of weak character end badly!!!) with an attempt to portray human emotion in honest rather than stylized terms. It's also appealing from a syllabus point of view because it's relatively short, although of course most things look short next to Tom Jones. Heh.
I nod at the whole list except for Jane Austen and Aphra Behn. The latter I think of more as a Restoration figure--I'd pick Mary Davys over her (and talk about that little group of women) but hey.
I shouldn't say "Jane Austen" but Northanger Abbey. The first half of that novel was rewritten not long before she died--the second half is really a one joke story and doesn't quite lend itself to study, imo, esp. as she went over it a bit, so it finesses some of the 18th C feel. The Austen I'd use is Lady Susan which is very, very definitely 18th C.
Here I must confess that I haven't even heard of Mary Davys. I think you're right about Behn as more of a Restoration figure, but I'd rather have students read her in this class than not at all, which is the other option, so.
I hadn't thought of using Lady Susan; I haven't read it in years, and remember very little about it except that 1) it's epistolary, which would be a fun complement to Pamela and Evelina, and 2) the heroine is Not A Nice Girl At All, which is of course delightful and is also a good connection to Roxana or Moll. Plus it's quite short, right? Hmmm. I'll have to think about that. I confess that I do like the idea of ending the semester with Pride and Prejudice just because I think it'd keep a lot of students reading...
I can see ending with P&P as it does owe a great deal to rational Enlightenment thinking--isn't Romantic at all. But Northanger, having been rewritten, I do think shows more of a later influence.
Yay! That's great news. New ideas are so much more fun to work on then old (and much worst, so I'm told) tasks. As for an excuse, just say that coming up with a syllabus puts you in a much better mood while grading papers ;)
Congratulations! This sounds like exactly Your Kind Of Fun! Also, I love that you're planning a syllabus for over a year from now. Seriously, I've barely started thinking ahead to next semester.
But I hear you about the student-paper avoidance. Myself, I'm just psyched that I'm now down to one batch of papers instead of the four that were glaring at me over the last weekend. One, I can handle. Indeed, I'm handling it already.
And next week is finals here. Light at the end of the tunnel!
With much support for the paper-wrangling, the grrly grrl
Well, the last three semesters have taught me that I *never* want to be planning a new class at the last minute ever again. Gah.
Go you on the paper-handling, and congrats on the light at the end of the tunnel; last week is the end of classes around here, so I still have miles to go before I sleep...
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Inchbald's a playwright (mostly comedies) and novelist; A Simple Story is the only one of her works I've read. It's about a priest and his young, worldly, flirtatious ward; they fall in love but conceal their feelings because of his calling, until he inherits a peerage, at which point they marry and then things go bad (to put it mildly). The novel's interesting largely because it rather precariously combines upfront didacticism (girls of weak character end badly!!!) with an attempt to portray human emotion in honest rather than stylized terms. It's also appealing from a syllabus point of view because it's relatively short, although of course most things look short next to Tom Jones. Heh.
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I shouldn't say "Jane Austen" but Northanger Abbey. The first half of that novel was rewritten not long before she died--the second half is really a one joke story and doesn't quite lend itself to study, imo, esp. as she went over it a bit, so it finesses some of the 18th C feel. The Austen I'd use is Lady Susan which is very, very definitely 18th C.
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I hadn't thought of using Lady Susan; I haven't read it in years, and remember very little about it except that 1) it's epistolary, which would be a fun complement to Pamela and Evelina, and 2) the heroine is Not A Nice Girl At All, which is of course delightful and is also a good connection to Roxana or Moll. Plus it's quite short, right? Hmmm. I'll have to think about that. I confess that I do like the idea of ending the semester with Pride and Prejudice just because I think it'd keep a lot of students reading...
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You are wise beyond your years. *g*
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But I hear you about the student-paper avoidance. Myself, I'm just psyched that I'm now down to one batch of papers instead of the four that were glaring at me over the last weekend. One, I can handle. Indeed, I'm handling it already.
And next week is finals here. Light at the end of the tunnel!
With much support for the paper-wrangling,
the grrly grrl
Reply
Go you on the paper-handling, and congrats on the light at the end of the tunnel; last week is the end of classes around here, so I still have miles to go before I sleep...
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