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Liberty, Slavery, Tyranny: Literature and Politics in the Romantic Age

Module description

The late-Eighteenth century saw intense debates about the evils of slavery, the limits of political liberty, and the link between imaginative literature and historical agency. This module introduces you to some of the key texts written in the incredibly tumultuous period between the 1780s and 1820 when Britain was involved in a transatlantic slave trade, a global war with Revolutionary and Napoleonic France, and wracked at home by often violent political agitation. The module opens with the growth of a powerful literature of anti-slavery in the 1780s, while ending with the literary culture of Britain in the wake of the Peterloo Massacre of political reformers at Manchester in 1819. Some of the great works of Romantic period literature will be considered alongside the rhetorical political culture of the time. 

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module will aim to introduce you to a fascinating period in the intellectual history of modern Britain. It will develop historical awareness and literary appreciation of a range of texts and authors. 

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate an appreciation for a range of Eighteenth century writing about literature and political culture in the period covered
• 2. Describe an important strand of late-Eighteenth century intellectual history

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Analyse the literature of an earlier era and to relate its concerns and its modes of expression to its historical context
• 4. Interrelate texts and discourses specific to their own discipline with issues in the wider context of cultural and intellectual history

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Through seminar work, demonstrate communication skills, and work both individually and in groups
• 6. Through essay-writing, demonstrate appropriate research and bibliographic skills, construct a coherent, substantiated argument, and write clear and correct prose

Syllabus plan

This is an indicative syllabus of the types of topics that will be covered. Please contact the module convenor for an up-to-date reading list:

• Anti-slavery literature in the 1780s and 1790s
• Women’s writing in the period
• Black life-writing in the transatlantic world
• Lyric poetry and politics before and after Peterloo

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to redo the assessment(s) as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Reading lists will be provided a dedicated ELE & TALIS site for the module

Key words search

Romanticism, politics, literature, eighteenth century, revolutionary literature