HUMS 645
George Eliot, Thomas Hardy, and the Making of the Modern

Daniel Burt     

Schedule
January 27 Introduction and Preliminaries
February 3 Middlemarch: Book One
February 10 Middlemarch: Books Two and Three
February 17 Middlemarch: Books Four and Five
February 24 Middlemarch: Books Six and Seven

Passage Analysis Due

March 4 Middlemarch: Book Eight
March 11 Spring Break: No Class
March 18 Spring Break: No Class
March 24 Hardy's May of Casterbridge
March 31 Hardy's May of Casterbridge
April 7 Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles
April 14 Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles
April 21 Hardy's Jude of the Obscure
April 28 Hardy's Jude of the Obscure
May 5 Back-up Snow Day (if needed)
Procedures
Since the course only meets twelve times, it is important that you attend regularly. If you must miss a class, please contact me ahead of time by phone or e-mail. Deadlines for submission of work and presentations are serious, and grade reductions will be made for any unexcused missed deadline. Please see me ahead of the due date to discuss any problems you may have. Each class meeting will include a 10-minute break. I don't mind your bringing something to eat or drink to sustain you through our discussions, provided you are unobtrusive, and sharing would be nice!
Assignments
Students should keep a reading journal recording your reaction to your reading throughout the term. The journal will be submitted with your final project and take-home final exam. A passage analysis (3-4 pp.) will be due on February 24, in which you will attempt to demonstrate how the excerpt selected illuminates Eliot's artistry. Each student will make a brief oral presentation on a particular aspect of Eliot or Hardy's lives, times, or art. A written version of your remarks should be submitted on the assigned day. The final project will consist of a critical essay comparing a significant aspect of Eliot's and Hardy's work. The essay will be due on Friday, May 6.