Romantic and Sentimental Literature 1770-1830

Advertisement

This course is centrally but not exclusively concerned with Romanticism. The Romantic movement has traditionally been seen to dominate the aesthetic and literary output of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, but recent critical and historical scholarship has emphasized the range and diversity of contemporary literary forms and styles of writing which cannot comfortably be treated as though they were part of that movement.

By setting Romantic and Sentimental writings alongside each other the MA offers students an opportunity to find their own paths through the literary and cultural history of the period. Works by writers such as Henry Mackenzie, Helen Maria Williams, Robert Bage, Mary Hays, Mrs Barbauld, Charlotte Smith, George Crabbe, Hannah More or Jane Austen, for instance, can be persuasively treated as Sentimental or Anti-Sentimental rather than Romantic.

At the same time, by examining the literary and aesthetic works at the centre of the course in the light of the historical circumstances in which they were produced, the MA offers participants the chance to develop a broad view of the major changes in sensibility and ideology of the period, and to investigate such contemporary issues as the representation of landscape or revolution, the place of women as writers, the role of the periodicals as a cultural medium and the importance of ideas of Empire and the Orient, as well as studying Romantic aesthetic theory and poetic practice.

While concentrating on British writers, the course may also include selected German and French texts, which will normally be read in translation.

In the first term all students follow a core course as well as one option module, both taught by weekly seminars. The core course surveys the major literary and cultural developments in the period and the central preoccupations of Romantic and Sentimental writing, as formulated by contemporaries and by recent critics and theorists. In the second term students follow two option modules, taught by weekly seminars.

Options are chosen from a rich array offered by the Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies, including interdisciplinary options - details can be viewed at the Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies website. Staff teaching on the MA may include John Barrell, Harriet Guest, Emma Major, Jane Moody, Alison O'Byrne and James Watt - a full list, including their research interests and publications, can be viewed at the staff directory.

Information for prospective Socrates students

The Department has established a postgraduate ERASMUS exchange with the literature departments of the University of Paris and the University of Bologna. Students selected by these departments from Paris and Bologna should apply to the University of York for acceptance on to the MA in Romantic and Sentimental Literature.

The University's absolute minimum English language requirements are: * IELTS: 7.0(in the 'Academic' test) * TOEFL: paper-based 550/ computer-based (CBT): 213/ internet-based (iBT): 79 * Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English: A, B, C * Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English: A English Language Requirements IELTS band: 7 CAE score: (read more) Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) is part of the Cambridge English suite and is targeted at a high level (IETLS 6.5-8.0). It is an international English language exam set at the right level for academic and professional success. Developed by Cambridge English Language Assessment - part of the University of Cambridge - it helps you stand out from the crowd as a high achiever. 80 (Grade A) TOEFL paper-based test score : 550 TOEFL iBT® test: 79 IMPORTANT NOTE: Since April 2014 the ETS tests (including TOEFL and TOEIC) are no longer accepted for Tier 4 visa applications to the United Kingdom. The university might still accept these tests to admit you to the university, but if you require a Tier 4 visa to enter the UK and begin your degree programme, these tests will not be sufficient to obtain your Visa. The IELTS test is most widely accepted by universities and is also accepted for Tier 4 visas to the UK- learn more.