William
Wordsworth (1770-1850) is judged by many literary critics to have been the most
important and influential British poet since John Milton. He lived through one
of the most tumultuous periods of modern political history and witnessed the
rise of the industrial revolution. He and his close associate Samuel Taylor
Coleridge (1772-1834) are sometimes said to be the inventors of modern poetry,
and their co-authored volume Lyrical
Ballads (1798) has long been considered a watershed in British literary
history. Our main business in this course will be to read and understand most
of the major poetry and some of the critical writings of Wordsworth and
Coleridge. Class participation is required and vital. There will be frequent
quizzes, two term papers, and a final exam.
TEXTS:
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Ed. H. J.
Jackson. Oxford Authors Edition, Oxford University Press.
Wordsworth, William, William Wordsworth. Ed. Stephen Gill. Oxford Authors Edition,
Oxford University Press.