As students become more familiar with the techniques and conventions of poetry, poetry becomes not only easier but actually fun to read. In order to discover who paved the way for 19th and 20th Century women writers, this course examines the works of 17th and 18th Century writers such as Margaret Cavendish, Aphra Behn, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Alice Thornton, and Jane Anger. Special attention will be paid to their images of themselves as writers as well as their connections with modern counterparts. The class begins with private forms such as diaries and letters, and moves to published essays, poems, plays, and novels. It includes the writings of aristocrats, middle-class, and working women and concludes with Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Women .
Students write two shorter papers or a single, longer, researched paper.
Paper topics will be suggested, but students are welcome to suggest their own topics, including creative projects. The midterm and final ask for both short responses and essay-length responses. In terms of both drama and poetry, this century is one of the richest periods in English literature. It is also an age of great growth in the development of English prose. I arrange the poetry and prose by major topics in order to help students better grasp this diverse body of literature.