ENGL 347: The Age of Satire

(1 Unit)
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher or permission of instructor.
Studies the satirical literature of the eighteenth century, including works by Dryden, Rochester, Finch, Pope, Swift, Montagu, Fielding, Gay, Hogarth, Johnson, and Austen. Examines the goals and qualities of satire. In considering why this period is so prone to satire, the course examines social and historical factors such as the rise of capitalism, changing gender roles, contests over class status, the spectacle of capital punishment, the new literary marketplace, and the ideal of companionate marriage. Staff.