L01003 - ENGLISH LITERATURE II

courses
ID:
L01003
Duration (hours):
48
CFU:
8
SSD:
LETTERATURA INGLESE
Located in:
PESCARA
Url:
FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES/LETTERARIO-CULTURALE Year: 2
Year:
2026
Course Catalogue:
https://unich.coursecatalogue.cineca.it/af/2026?co...

Overview

Date/time interval

Primo Semestre (01/10/2026 - 15/01/2027)

Syllabus

Course Objectives


The course aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the development of the English novel from the Restoration to the early twentieth century, with particular focus on the rise of the bourgeois novel, the relationship between literature and science, and the evolution of narrative models between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries.
Special attention will be devoted to textual analysis and the acquisition of critical tools for literary interpretation.


LEARNING OUTCOMES
Knowledge and Understanding (Dublin Descriptor 1)
By the end of the course, students will be able to:

describe the development of the English novel from the 17th to the 20th century
identify major authors, works, and literary movements
explain the relationship between literature, science, and historical context
recognize key debates of the Long Eighteenth Century



Applying Knowledge and Understanding (Dublin Descriptor 2)

apply critical tools to the analysis of literary texts
contextualize literary works within their historical framework
use appropriate literary-critical terminology



Making Judgements (Dublin Descriptor 3)

analyze narrative structures and themes
compare literary models across different periods
critically evaluate the relationship between literature and science
develop independent interpretations supported by textual evidence



Communication Skills (Dublin Descriptor 4)

present ideas clearly and coherently
argue critical interpretations effectively
communicate disciplinary content using appropriate language



Learning Skills (Dublin Descriptor 5)

independently integrate critical sources
develop advanced textual analysis strategies

establish interdisciplinary connections

Course Prerequisites


English language level A2

Teaching Methods


The course includes:

lectures focused on theoretical frameworks
guided textual analysis (close reading)
classroom discussions
thematic interdisciplinary insights

Assessment Methods


ASSESSMENT METHODS
Type of Assessment
Oral exam (3–5 questions)


Assessment Criteria
The evaluation will be based on:

knowledge of texts and historical context
understanding and interpretation of content
analytical skills
critical thinking abilities
clarity of presentation and use of disciplinary language



Grading Scale
Grade
Description
30L–30
Excellent knowledge and advanced critical skills
27–29
Very good knowledge and analytical ability
24–26
Good knowledge and adequate skills
21–23
Basic knowledge
18–20
Minimum acceptable knowledge
<18
Fail

Texts

READING LIST

Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
Rudyard Kipling, The Mark of the Beast
H. G. Wells, The Island of Doctor Moreau
David Garnett, Lady Into Fox

Critical Texts:
Miriam Sette, Il fantastico in Robinson Crusoe. Daniel Defoe e la Ragione trasfiguratrice, Carocci, Roma 2010.
Miriam Sette, Come leggere Pride and Prejudice, Chieti, Solfanelli, 2025
Miriam Sette, Trittico sulla metamorfosi: Kipling, Wells, Garnett, Liguori, Napoli 2015.
Miriam Sette (a cura di), Rudyard Kipling, Il marchio della bestia e altri racconti del fantastico, Biblion, Milano 2018.
Recommended reference text:
Franco Marucci, Scritti 1975-2025, Peter Lang, 2026, vol. 1.
Further bibliographic indications will be provided during the semester.

Contents


The course is structured into four modules:

Science and pseudoscience in 18th-century English fiction
The social novel between the 18th and 19th centuries
Biological models in 19th–20th century literature
The Long Eighteenth Century





Course Language

Italian/English

More information


As far as the period considered, ie The Long Eighteenth Century, which embraces English literary history from 1660 to 1832, the following authors are particularly relevant:
The Restoration and the Early XVIII Century (1660-1798)
John Dryden (1631-1700): "Absalom and Achitophel" (1681).
Samuel Pepys (1633-1703).
John Bunyan (1628-1688): "The Pilgrim's Progress" (1675).
William Congreve (1670-1729).
The Augustan Age
Daniel Defoe (1660? -1731).
Jonathan Swift (1667-1745).
Alexander Pope (1688-1744).
Augustan Modes in Poetry
Samuel Butler (1612-1680).
John Gay (1685-1732): "The Beggar's Opera" (1728).
The Periodical Essay
Joseph Addison (1672-1719).
Sir Richard Steele (1672-1729).
The Poetry of Sensibility
James Thomson (1700-1748): "The Seasons".
Thomas Gray (1716-1771): "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard".
William Collins (1721-1759).
Christopher Smart (1722-1771).
Oliver Goldsmith (1730-1774): "The Deserted
Village".George Crabbe (1754-1832).
William Cowper (1731-1800).
Biographies
James Boswell (1740-1795): Life of Samuel
Johnson (1791).
The novel (from Richardson to Austen)
Samuel Richardson (1689-1761), Pamela.
Henry Fielding (1707-1754), Joseph Andrews.
Tobias Smollett (1721-1771), Roderick Random
(1748).
Laurence Sterne (1713-1768), Tristram Shandy
(1759-1767).
Oliver Goldsmith, The Vicar of Wakefield (1766).
Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), Rasselas (1759).
Henry Mackenzie (1745-18319), The Man of Feeling
(1771).
The Gothic Novel
Horace Walpole (1717-1797), The Castle of Otranto
(1765).
William Beckford (1760-1844), Vathek (1786).
Ann Radcliffe (1764-1823), The Mysteries of
Udolpho (1794).
Matthew Gregory Lewis (1775-1818), The Monk
(1796).
Charles Robert Maturin (1782-1824), Melmoth the
Wanderer (1820)
Domestic Fiction
Fanny Burney (1752-1840), Evelina (1778).
Jane Austen (1775-1817), Pride and Prejudice
(1813).

Degrees

Degrees

FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES 
Bachelor’s Degree
3 years
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