ENG 340 Eighteenth-Century Literature
Actually begins in 1660 with the restoration of Charles II to the English throne. Writers in this period actively engaged in the great struggles over religion, politics, and philosophy. Consequently, some of the greatest satires in the English language emerged, typified by the works of John Dryden, Jonathan Swift, and Alexander Pope. This course emphasizes these writers, but also examines new literary expressions of the period such as Restoration Comedy, the periodical essay, the mock-epic, the biography, and literary criticism.