Studying at York
Keats, Coteries, & Cockney Adventures in Poetry & Prose 1808 - 1830 - ENG00085H
- Department: English and Related Literature
- Module co-ordinator: Prof. Jon Mee
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: H
- Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
Module summary
This module looks at the writing of William Hazlitt, Leigh Hunt, John Keats, and Charles and Mary Lamb, among others, in the context of the metropolitan culture of the first decades of the nineteenth century and its response to a rapidly changing literary and political context. Recent scholarship has looked at this group as a ‘coterie’ whose literary production centered on a group identity in ways that questions its traditional designation as the second-generation ‘Romantic’ writers.
The module focusses on the inclusivity and exclusivity of the idea of the ‘coterie’ in the context of recent theorisations of social authorship, the group’s relations to The Examiner, and their larger position within a rapidly expanding culture of reviewing and other forms of mediation, via print, lecturing, and exhibitions. There will be a larger consideration of the ris eof magazines in the period, and an opportunity to explore The Examiner, Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, and The London Magazine – all of which were important to the group around Keats - via on line resources. The module also considers the role of gender in the dynamics of the group, anxieties about boundaries within the group and the larger culture, and their relationship to the first generation Romantics, especially Wordsworth, and to their aristocratic collaborators Byron and Shelley.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Autumn Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
The aim of this module is to introduce students to early nineteenth century literary culture and specifically the idea of social authorship in its context.
Module learning outcomes
- Demonstrate an advanced understanding of and engagement with a range of texts from the first decades of the nineteenth century
- Demonstrate an advanced understanding of and engagement with the early nineteenth century contexts
- Evaluate key debates within the relevant critical fields, especially the idea of the coterie and other forms of ’social authorship’.
- Produce independent arguments and ideas which demonstrate an advanced proficiency in critical thinking, research, and writing skills.
Indicative assessment
| Task | Length | % of module mark |
|---|---|---|
| Essay/coursework 3000 word essay |
N/A | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
You will be given the opportunity to hand in a 1000 word formative essay in the term in which the module is taught (usually in the week 7 seminar). Material from this essay may be re-visited in your summative essay and it is therefore an early chance to work through material that might be used in assessed work. This essay will be submitted in hard copy and your tutor will annotate it and return it two weeks later (usually in your week 9 seminar). Summary feedback will be uploaded to your eVision account.
Indicative reassessment
| Task | Length | % of module mark |
|---|---|---|
| Essay/coursework 3000 word essay |
N/A | 100 |
Module feedback
- You will receive feedback on all assessed work within the University deadline, and will often receive it more quickly. The purpose of feedback is to inform your future work; it is designed to help you to improve your work, and the Department also offers you help in learning from your feedback. If you do not understand your feedback or want to talk about your ideas further you can discuss it with your tutor or your supervisor, during their Open Office Hours
- For more information about the feedback you will receive for your work, see the department's Guide to Assessment
Indicative reading
- Cambridge Companion to John Keats. ed Susan Wolfson. Cambridge. 2001.
- Tim Chilcott, A Publisher and his Circle. Routledge. 1972
- Jeffrey N. Cox, Poetry and Politics in the Cockney School. Cambridge. 1998
- Gregory Dart, Metropolitan Art and Literature, 1810-1840. Cambridge. 2012
- Hughes-Hallett, Penelope, The immortal dinner: a famous evening of genius & laughter in literary London, 1817 Viking. 2000
- Nicholas Roe, Fiery Heart: The First Life of Leigh Hunt. Pimlico. 2005
- David Stewart. Romantic magazines and metropolitan literary culture. Palgrave 2011.
- Susan Wolfson, Reading John Keats. Cambridge 2015