Course Goals:Lucindarmccoy212006-09-04T23:02:00Z2006-09-05T13:14:00Z2006-09-05T13:14:00Z1138378886518925311.8026Professor L. Cole415 Luther Bonney780-4093; lcole@maine.rr.comENG 365 Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Literature: A History of SexualityWhile introducing students to a variety of canonical texts from the eighteenth century, this course is also designed to address a single issue: how do we “read” sex in the early modern period? We take as our starting point Michel Foucault’s History of Sexuality, Volume I, whose thesis has now become mainstream. Here Foucault argues against the idea that sex is a natural drive, and for the view that “sex” is an effect of discourse, part of a complicated cultural machinery that compels us to think of ourselves as sexual and gendered beings with specific needs and desires. In his anti-Freudian view, sexuality—or, better, sexualities--are produced through institutions such as the church, the schools, and the law, all of which produce and “police” sexuality in particular ways. With Foucault’s thesis in mind, we will analyze three groups of literary texts: the libertine writers of the Restoration, the middle-class novelists of the mid 1700s, and the gothic writers of sensibility at century’s end. Texts in Bookstore: Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality Volume I: An Introduction Aphra Behn Oroonoko, The Rover, and Other Works John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, Selected Works (Penguin) Samuel Richardson, Clarissa (Signet)John Cleland, Memoirs of a Woman of PleasureHorace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto Matthew Lewis, The MonkCourse Goals:The student successfully completing this course will be able to demonstrate:--The ability to summarize Foucault’s argument and to use it in an interpretive essay--The ability to write a college-level essay about a primary text, using correct citation and consistent bibliographical format--The ability to use both the internet and the USM library to locate sources and to conduct researchCourse Requirements and Policies: Essays: Your grade will be based mostly upon three essays of 4-6 pages and an oral presentation. These essays are directed assignments designed to reinforce important concepts and to provide a measure of your analytical, interpretive, and writing skills. General topics, which should be shaped to your own interests, will be provided at least one week before the assignment is due. There are pedagogical reasons for not providing topics earlier, among them the desire to thwart any impulse on the part of busy students to “read for the topic.”  First readings should be as undirected as possible.Final essays must be typed in 11-or 12-pont font with a 1.5 inch margin. They must conform to Chicago or MLA style. (On this, see Diane Hacker, Writing About Literature.)Papers should be in my hands at the beginning of the class period during which they are due. Should you miss that class, essays should be mailed, with a postmark on the due date. Please do not e-mail long papers. In grading your essays, I will be commenting upon organization, syntax, and content: usually, in the latter case, upon how clearly you explain or support your thesis, and how clearly it illuminates an aspect of eighteenth-century culture. Early in the semester, I will occasionally assign a NG (no grade) for papers that are grammatically or mechanically inadequate or for ones whose approach, given the assignment, is misconceived. NGs must be rewritten. A note on plagiarism: The emergence of internet sites devoted to literary analysis has brought with it the rise of plagiarism in college courses. This tendency seems to manifest itself more often when unprepared students are faced with unfamiliar or especially challenging material. If you experience anxiety or frustration in writing your papers please contact me for help; do not be tempted to take some other writer’s words or ideas and try to pass them off as your own. Plagiarism is an offense that, at best, will result in your failing this course; at worst, it could result in your expulsion from the university.Oral Report: Early in the semester, students will be asked to sign up for oral reports on either Clarissa or Fanny Hill. These oral reports are intended to provide practice in locating an article relevant to our topic—sexuality—and in presenting a concise summary of the article to the class. The reports should be no longer than fifteen minutes and should be accompanied by handouts for the class. The handout should include complete bibliographical information on the critical article. .In-class and impromptu writing assignments: On the theory that students should receive frequent feedback, you will sometimes be asked to write short responses which will then serve as the basis of classroom discussion. .Reading: Every student is expected to come to class having read the assigned material. Should (for reasons beyond your control) you ever come to class unprepared, please let me know in advance. I will not call on you that day. Should too many students come to class without having read the material, I will be forced to give daily quizzes that will be averaged with other assignments to constitute your final grade. Late papers: This class is organized so as to minimize the possibility of late papers. Papers will be marked down half a letter grade for every day they are overdue. Papers postmarked on the due date will not be penalized. Nor will papers emailed to me before class begins. I will need a hard copy of that paper, however, to grade. You may drop the finished essay by 311 Luther Bonney.Attendance, Withdrawal, Incompletes: Students are expected to attend every class meeting. Should you find your absence is unavoidable, please contact a classmate—not your professor—for notes and any handouts or syllabi changes. No student missing more than two classes may pass this course. Also, please note the university policy regarding withdrawals. I cannot issue you a withdrawal after the posted date. Finally, except under the most unusual, unavoidable, and well-documented of circumstances, I no longer gives “Incompletes.” Please take this into account as your are planning your semester.Office Hours and Contact Information: I will announce my office hours after the first week of class, and hope to meet with each of you at least once during the semester. My office phone number is 780-4093, but I am more easily reached through email. My email address is lcole@maine.rr.com.A Note on My “Teaching Style”: Like all professors, I am often asked “what do you want?” After twenty years of teaching, I’d answer that question as follows: I want students to learn to think for themselves. In practice, this means that my classes (and my grading) try to encourage students to take risks with their work, and although assignments early in the semester are very specific, later they will become less so, as students are expected to generate their own topics and theses. I want to students make connections between works that we read in class, but also between those works and material encountered outside of class. Mostly, I want to see signs of a lively and active intelligence, the courage to assert an argument and to support it through concrete examples arranged in a clear and persuasive manner. Since “persuasiveness” in literary interpretation is dependent upon close reading, the most compelling analyses will be those most sensitive to literary language.Schedule of ReadingsPlease note that this rather sketchy syllabus is subject to change. Be prepared to incorporate short works available online or distributed in class. Since the syllabus is somewhat organic, if you miss a class, you check with a classmate for updates. Tuesday September 5 IntroductionsThursday September 7 Foucault, “We ‘Other Victorians;” “The Incitement to Discourse”Tuesday September 12 Film: RestorationThursday September 14 Film: Restoration; Rochester, “The Maim’d Debauchee”Tuesday September 19 Rochester, “Satyre Against Mankind”Thursday September 21 Rochester, “The Imperfect Enjoyment”Tuesday September 26 Behn, “The Disappointment”Thursday September 28 Behn, “To Clarinda, Who Made Love to Me, Imagin’d More Than Woman”; Foucault, “The Perverse Implantation”Tuesday October 3 Behn, The RoverThursday October 5 Behn, The RoverTuesday October 10 October VacationThursday October 12 First Essay Due; Film: History of BritainTuesday October 17 Foucault, Part Three, “Scientia Sexualis”; Richardson, ClarissaThursday October 19 Richardson, ClarissaTuesday October 24 Richardson, ClarissaThursday October 26 Richardson, ClarissaTuesday October 31 Richardson, ClarissaThursday November 2 Foucault, Part Four, “The Deployment of Sexuality”Tuesday November 7 Cleland, Fanny HillThursday November 9 Cleland, Fanny HillTuesday November 14 Cleland, Fanny HillThursday November 16 Second Essay DueTuesday November 21Walpole, The Castle of OtrantoThursday November 23 Thanksgiving BreakTuesday November 28 Walpole, The Castle of OtrantoThursday December 2 Lewis, The MonkTuesday December 7 Lewis, The MonkThursday December 9 Lewis, The MonkTuesday December 14 Lewis, The MonkThird Essay Due Date TBA