ENGL
405
Age
of Sensibility
Professor
David Kaufmann
459 Robinson
Hall
(703)
993-2766 Office
Hrs: M 1:30-3:00 by appt
What,
in your opinion, is the meaning of the word sentimental, so much in vogue among
the polite... Every thing clever and agreeable is comprehended in that word...I
am frequently astonished to hear such a one is a sentimental man; we were a
sentimental party; I have been taking a sentimental walk. Lady Bradshaigh to
Richardson (1749)
Lets
face it, the Age of Sensibility is a strange name for a period whose
literature is marked by fountains of emotion and by thrills of terror. So,
sensibility is not sensible, at least not in our understanding of the word.
Sensible for the late 18th century meant capable of delicate or
tender feeling as well as level-headed and rational, and in this course we
will be watching how these two definitions play off each other. The second half of the eighteenth
century was marked by all sorts of excitement: revolutions, empires lost and
won, the consolidation of commercial capitalism and, for the first time, the
writing of English novels of truly European importance. In this course, we will
be looking at these novels and tracing the imprint of those other things on the
texts we will be reading. But mostly, we will be talking about vice, liars, sex
and death. We will spend time worrying about what characters mean when
they argue about honour and virtue. By the end of the semester, you will be
familiar with some of the most important novels of the period and you will have
improved both your writing and your interpretive skills.
Methods
and Approaches:
We will be emphasizing CLOSE reading and a constant concentration on the
beginnings and the endings of the works well be reading. Well even be paying
attention to dashes.We will have occasion to consult the Oxford English
Dictionary
(see the definitions at the end of the syllabus). These novels tend to be longer than you are used to
(although we are reading either abridged ones or the shorter ones) and so we
will have to consider how one should read them and what kinds of reading they
seem to demand.
Texts
to buy:
While there are a number of editions of at least some of the books on this
list, it actually makes sense to try to lay your hands on the editions I have
ordered—it will make it easier to follow the class. This is especially
true of the abridged CLARISSA.
Richardson,
CLARISSA (Signet)
Burney,
EVELINA
Goldsmith,
THE VICAR OF WAKEFIELD
Sterne
SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY
Lewis,
THE MONK
Austen,
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Class
Schedule
Jan
23 Intro
Jan
28-30 Clarissa 1-111
Feb 4-6 Clarissa 112-345 1st Paper due
Feb
11-13 Clarissa 345-519
Supplements from Clarissa (online)
Feb
18-20 Evelina 1-148
Feb
25-27 Evelina 149-301
March
3-5 Evelina 302-450 2nd Paper Due
March
10-16 Spring Break
March 17-19,
24-6 The
Vicar of Wakefield
The
Deserted Village (online)
March
31-April 2 Ignatius
Sancho to Sterne (online)
A
Sentimental Journey
April
7-9 The
Monk 1-192 3rd
Paper Due
April
14-16 The
Monk 193-377
April
21-3 NO
CLASS APRIL 21
Pride
and Prejudice 3-232
April
28-30 Pride
and Prejudice 234-367
May
5 Wrap Final
Paper Due
Requirements
a.
an
apostrophe signals either possession (Richardsons book) or a contraction
(its for it is.) Now, its is a contraction, not a sign of
possession. So, if you write its book for its book I will fuss and fume.
b.
Just
adding an s to a noun does not signal possession. The s tells me that you
are referring to a plural. The Athenians book does not make any sense. The
Athenians book does.
c.
Sentences
require a subject and a verb. If you want to string together several sentences,
use the correct punctuation--a colon or a semi-colon (or a dash) or a proper
connective. Do not use a comma. Sentences that string together
independent clauses without paying heed to punctuation or the use of simple
ands are called run-on sentences.
Plagiarism: I shouldnt have to talk
about plagiarism, but it seems I must. If you present work as your own which
was actually written by someone else (whether another student or a professional
scholar), you are cheating. If you say something in a paper that you would not
have said if you had not read Smith, even if you do not quote Smith word for
word, then you need to footnote Smith (this includes sources from the Internet,
by the way). Be sure to familiarize youself with proper modes of
documentation. [1]
ANYONE
WHO CITES, RELIES ON OR OTHERWISE REFERS TO THE WORK OF SOMEONE ELSE WITHOUT
ACKNOWLEDGING THIS FACT IN A FOOTNOTE WILL BE REFERRED TO THE HONOR COMMITTEE.
ANYONE FOUND CHEATING ON AN IN CLASS EXAM OR QUIZ WILL BE REFERRED TO THE HONOR
COMMITTEE.
Grading
: The
papers and in-class work count for no less than 85 % of the grade. Class
participation (which should be vigorous, if not impassioned) will count for the
rest of your grade. Remember: You are responsible for your ignorance. If you
have a question, ask it. If youre scared to ask it in class, email me.
Some
Helpful (Historical) Definitions
From
the OED
Honour
a.
OF. onor, -ur, honor, -ur (11th c.), AF. (h)onour, mod.F. honneur (= It. onore, Sp., Pg. honor):L. honr-em repute, esteem, official
dignity, honorary gift, ornament, grace, beauty.
1. a. High respect, esteem, or
reverence, accorded to exalted worth or rank; deferential admiration or
approbation.
b. As rendered or shown: The
expression of high estimation.
c. As received, gained, held, or
enjoyed: Glory, renown, fame; credit, reputation, good name. The opposite of dishonour, disgrace.
2. a. Personal title to high
respect or esteem; honourableness; elevation of character; nobleness of mind,
scorn of meanness, magnanimity (J.); a fine sense of and strict allegiance to
what is due or right (also, to what is due according to some conventional or
fashionable standard of conduct).
b. A statement or promise made
on one's honour; word of honour. arch.
3.
a. (Of a
woman) Chastity, purity, as a virtue of the highest consideration; reputation
for this virtue, good name.
4.
a. Exalted
rank or position; dignity, distinction.
Sensibility
ad.
L. sensibilits
(-ttem),
f. sensibilis:
see SENSIBLE
a. and -ITY. Cf. F. sensibilit (1314 in Hatz.-Darm.), Pr. sensibilitee, Sp. sensibilidad, Pg. sensibilidade, It. sensibilit, sensibilitade, -tate.
Rare
until the middle of the 18th century.
2. a. Power of sensation or
perception; the specific function of any of the organs of sense (obs.). Now often, the (greater or
less) readiness of an organ or tissue to respond to sensory stimuli; sensitiveness.
b. Philos. Power or faculty of feeling,
capacity of sensation and emotion as distinguished from cognition and will.
Sentimental
f. prec. + -AL1.
The F. sentimental, according to Littr and
Hatz.-Darm., is an adoption of the Eng. word as used by Sterne; so also G. sentimental
1. Of persons, their
dispositions and actions: Characterized by sentiment. Originally in favourable
sense: Characterized by or exhibiting refined and elevated feeling. In later
use: Addicted to indulgence in superficial emotion; apt to be swayed by
sentiment.
1763 F. BROOKE
Hist. Lady J. Mandeville (1820) 34 Your squires are an agreeable race of people, refined,
sentimental, formed for the belle passion. 1823 SOUTHEY
in Q. Rev.
XXVIII. 517 Rousseau addressed himself to the sentimental classes, persons of
ardent or morbid sensibility, who believe themselves to be composed of finer
elements than the gross multitude.
c. Arising from sentiment or
refined sthetic emotion. Obs
2. Pertaining to
sentiment. a. Arising from or determined by feeling rather than by
reason.
b. That is a matter of sentiment
and not of material interests..
3. Of literary compositions
(occas. of music or other art): Appealing to sentiment; expressive of the
tender emotions, esp. those of love.
Virtue
[a. AF. and
OF. vertu
(F. vertu,
= It. virt,
Sp. virtud,
Pg. virtude),
ad. L. virtt-,
virtus
manliness, valour, worth, etc., f. vir man.]
I. As a quality of persons.
1.
a. The power
or operative influence inherent in a supernatural or divine being. Now arch. or Obs.
c. An act of superhuman or
divine power; a mighty work; a miracle. Obs.
2.
a. Conformity
of life and conduct with the principles of morality; voluntary observance of
the recognized moral laws or standards of right conduct; abstention on moral
grounds from any form of wrong-doing or vice.
c. spec. Chastity, sexual purity, esp.
on the part of women. of easy virtue: see EASY
a. 12.
The English Class System Before the
Victorian Era
From
www.littlecoxwell.com, a site dedicated to the
history and genealogy of Little Coxwell in Oxfordshire
Society
was divided into two main classes:
The
Nobility - a
hereditary class descended from supposedly "noble" blood lines.
Commoners - everyone else.
The
terms still have relevance today. The British government sits in the House of
Commons, whereas the nobility (hereditary peers) and government appointees
(life peers) meet in the House of Lords. Ah, me...
Commoners
were further divided into:
The
Baronetage -
commoners with the hereditary title of Baronet
The
Knights -
commoners who had been knighted by the monarch
The
Gentry -
commoners with inherited wealth and no need to work
The
Professionals -
Lawyers, doctors, and members of the Church of England
The
Yeomanry - a
rural class who owned their means of production, such as farmers who owned the
land they worked, millers who owned their own mills, etc.
Tenant
farmers -
farmers who leased their land
Tradesmen
Labourers
Of
the classes mentioned above three warrant further amplification: the nobility,
the gentry, and the professionals.
The
Nobility
Essentially
the nobility inhabited a world of their own. To a commoner any member of the
nobility was to be addressed as "My Lord" or "My Lady", but
within the nobility itself there were levels of rank of which the commoner
probably would be oblivious.
The
name following "Lord" is a hereditary title, not a surname. For
example, Lord Falmouth. To take the poet Byron. Baron Byron was his full title,
Lord Byron was the term used to to refer to or address him, but his name was
actually George Gordon. Similarly his wife, Lady Byron, was Anna Milbanke.
The
Gentry
Commoners
with inherited wealth and no need to work.
Typically
the gentry had distant aristocratic connections - Winston Churchill is a good
example. In English law, noble titles are passed on to the elder son, younger
sons being left in the cold. Without a title they tended to marry into
non-aristocratic circles, and within a couple of generations their noble
ancestor was only a distant memory. Their male descendants were now considered
"gentlemen", members of the gentry class, and addressed as
"Mister".
The
gentry were specifically an English phenomenon. On the continent the law of
primogeniture did not apply, and therefore all sons of an aristocratic father
inherited the title. Young aristocrats with a small income, but no
responsibilities, proliferated. This could well have been responsible for the
rise of the Libertines (such as Casanova, the Marquise de Sade, etc.), which
was purely an aristocratic cult. In England this was mirrored by the rise of
the Dandy movement, but due to the different social structure Dandyism was
taken up by young English aristocrats and members of the gentry class alike.
The
Professionals
Before
the mid-twentieth century the term was used solely for practitioners in the
legal, medical, and ecclesiastic fields. It's origins date from the
late-eighteenth / early-nineteenth century when the gentry had to come to terms
with the unpleasant fact that lawyers knew all about their financial matters,
doctors examined their wives, and vicars examined their souls. Strictly
speaking these people worked for a living and therefore were not
"gentlemen" - which was an unacceptable situation. As a result the
fiction developed that they were "honorary gentlemen" because
although they worked for a living, they would still have been
"called" to carry out that work even if they were not paid.
But
it was a one-way traffic. A gentleman could invite the local vicar, lawyer, or
doctor to make up a foursome of whist, but it would be a blunder for the
invitee to attempt to return the hospitality unless he was very sure of his
ground.
Unlike
most commoners who were simply referred to by their name, the professionals
were given the status of titles: the Reverend John Smith, Dr John Smith, or in
the case of lawyers, John Smith, Esq.
Class
Terminology
baron
- a
heriditary title, the 5th and lowest order of the nobility
baroness - the wife or widow of a
baron, or holding the position in her own right.
baronet - a heriditary title. It does
not confer membership of the nobility.
The
rules for terms of address are:
|
|
Self Sir
+ first name |
Wife
Lady
+ surname |
Son Mr |
Daughter Miss |
duchess - the wife of a duke. Her
full title would be Duchess+of+title, e.g., Duchess of Wellington
duke
- a
heriditary title, the highest order of the nobility
earl - a heriditary title, the 3rd
highest order of the nobility
Esq. - Esquire.
Originally
denoted a knight's squire. Later it became appended to the name of individuals
who had no official class standing, and therefore no formal title, but who had
sufficient social stature to be considered a cut above the rest. In the main it
was used for lawyers, but later came to be applied more generally.
A
remnant of this usage is found in the US legal profession today, where lawyers
still use the term when writing to each other.
gentleman- a male member of the gentry
class
gentry - commoners who had a private
income and had no need to work
knight
- originally
an armed soldier employed by a baron. Later a commoner who has been knighted by
the monarch. The title does not confer membership of the nobility.
The
rules for terms of address are:
|
|
Self Sir
+ first name |
Wife
Dame
+ surname |
Son
Mr. |
Daughter Miss |
lady (non-capitalized) - usually
denotes a female member of the gentry.
Lady (capitalized) - can denote a
female member of the nobility or baronetage, or a member of the gentry class
with proprietory rights and authority, for example as over a manor.
Note:
the wife of an aristocrat is referred to by Lady plus her title, e.g., Lady
Falmouth, whereas the wife of a baronet is referred to by Lady plus her
surname, e.g., Lady Shelley.
lord - by itself denotes a male
member of the nobility. It is also found in combination, as in Lord Justice
when applied to a judge.
marquis
- a heriditary title, the 2nd highest order of the nobility
Miss
- an
unmarried female
Before
the mid-Nineteenth Century usually only applied to members of the gentry class.
Other unmarried females were simply referred to or addressed by their name.
Mr
- Mister
Mr
is not the general term for an adult male as it is today, but in the early
Nineteenth Century and before it was an honorific only used for members of the
gentry class, i.e., commoners who had a private income and had no need to work.
A baptismal entry in the parish records for an ordinary parishioner might give
the parents names as "John and Mary Smith", but an entry such as
"Mr John Smith and his wife, Mary" would indicate that John Smith was
a member of the gentry class. "Mr John Smith and his lady wife, Mary"
has the further inference that Mary Smith has some social standing in her own
right.
Mrs - derived from Mistress,
which was applied to any married female in authority, for instance a tavern
keeper. Later it became the female equivalent of Mr and denoted a member of the
gentry class.
Rev'd - Reverend. Denotes a member
of the Church of England, usually a vicar or rector.
Sir - the form of address for a
baronet or a knight
viscount - a heriditary title, the 4th
highest order of the nobility