British Literature II aims to: 1. give students a good grounding in British literature of, roughly speaking, the past 250 years, and in doing so offer a window on the history and culture of Britain. 2. examine how and why British literature has achieved such a prominent and influential position in world literature and global culture. 3. develop students' ability to analyze and interpret texts and other cultural media and foster critical thought.

British Literature II aims to: 1. give students a good grounding in British literature of, roughly speaking, the past 250 years, and in doing so offer a window on the history and culture of Britain. 2. examin how and why British literature has achieved such a prominent and influential position in world literature and global culture. 3. develop students' ability to analyze and interpret texts and other cultural media and foster critical thought.

British II is designated a lecture (i.e. large) course in the department but it should be an interactive dialogue between the instructor and students. A lecturer merely standing in front of the class giving opinions about textual readings just won’t do. Questions, answers and comments should be equally appropriate from both sides of the dialogue: the teacher and the students. The instructor assigns material which the students prepare before class, and class time serves as a forum for exchanging ideas.
At the beginning of the first and second hour of class each week throughout the year, a pair of students presents a 10-minute report on a chronologically-related topic (examples might include: the Peterloo Massacre; the First Reform Bill; Chartist demands; Nightingale in the Crimea). There may be exams on reading assignments during breaks, or papers assigned during those times, depending upon the nature of the material. The Midterm and Final examinations are rigorous, and consist of 5 parts, each worth 20% of the total exam grade.

British II is designed a lesson (i.e. large) course in the department but it should be an interactive dialog between the instructor and students. A lecturer merely standing in front of the class giving opinions about textual readings just won’t do. Questions, answers and comments should be equally appropriate from both sides of the dialog: the teacher and the students. The instructor assigns material which the students prepare before class, and class time serves as a forum for exchanging ideas.
At the beginning of the first and second hour of class each week throughout the year, a pair of students presents a 10-minute report on a chronologically-related topic (examples might include: the Peterloo Massacre; the First Reform Bill; Chartist demands; Nightingale in the Crimea). There may be exams on reading assignments during breaks, or papers assigned during those times, depending upon the nature of the material. The Midterm and Final examinations are rigorous, and consist of 5 parts, each worth 20% of the total examination grade.

The main course textbook is the one volume edition of The Norton Anthology of English Literature, which students have already started using in BL I. The syllabus varies from year to year, but major authors such as, e.g., William Blake, William Wordsworth, Lord Byron, P. B. Shelley, Keats, Dickens, Stevenson, Tennyson, Oscar Wilde, T. S. Eliot, Harold Pinter, etc..are covered.

Several examples of 19th and 20th cent. fiction will also be studied by means of film adaptations. These may also differ from year to year, but will generally include classics such as, e.g., Great Expectations or Oliver Twist (based on novels by Charles Dickens), Jane Eyre (based on novel by Charlotte Bronte), and Mr. Johnson (based on novel by Joyce Carey).

The course instructor will also make additional materials available via handouts or the Moodle page for this course.

The main course textbook is the one volume edition of The Norton Anthology of English Literature, which students have already started using in BL I. The syllabus varies from year to year, but major authors such as, e.g., William Blake, William Wordsworth, Lord Byron, P. B. Shelley, Keats, Dickens, Stevenson, Tennyson, Oscar Wilde, T. S. Eliot, Harold Pinter, etc..are covered.

Several examples of 19th and 20th cent. fiction will also be studied by means of film adaptations. These may also differ from year to year, but will generally include classes such as, e.g., Great Expectations or Oliver Twist (based on novels by Charles Dickens), Jane Eyre (based on novel by Charlotte Bronte), and Mr. Johnson (based on novel by Joyce Carey).

The course instructor will also make additional materials available via handsouts or the Moodle page for this course.