Professor William Warner
2507 South Hall; warner@english.ucsb.edu
Office hours: Thursday, 3:30-4:30, and by appointment.

Theory

10/1: Introduction to the Seminar

10/8: Colonial and Post-Colonial // Theory and Practice

10/ 15: The Romance of Empire

Readings Behn, Oroonoko. Gallagher & Stern, ed. Gallagher’s introductions are given in italics. , “Introduction,” 3-23 Oroonoko, 34-100 “Literary contexts,” 141-145 Dryden, The Indian Emperor, 180-190 West Africa in the Triangular Trade, 208-217 Willem Bosman, “A New and Accurate Description of the Coast of Guinea”, 244-253 “The Caribbean in the Triangular Trade,” 326-334 Sir Walter Raleigh, “The Discovery of the Large, Rich, and Beautiful Empire of Guiana,” 334-337 Lord Willoughby, “Certain Overtures Made”, 346-348 George Warren, “An Impartial Description of Surinam”, 351-355 John Gabriel Stedman, “Narrative of a Five Years Expedition against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam,”377-392. ` “Britain in the Triangular Trade”, 393-401 “Petition (to Parliament) Protesting the Enslavement of Political Prisoners,” 408-414 “The Letters of Ignatius Sancho”, 451-458. Reader: Srinivas Aravamudan, “Petting Oroonoko,” 29-70;
Presentation: Sarah McLamore on Aravamudan
Resources

10/ 22: The British Imperial Project: Empire of Liberty

Readings Mary Rowlandson, Captivity Narrative, 63-112 Several paragraphs from Milton’s, “Areopagitica”, [handout] Reader: Spectator 69, “on the Royal Exchange” (Addison, Mackie, 202-206) Alexander Pope, “Windsor Forest” (selection in Mackie, 258-266) Alexander Pope, "Belinda's dressing table", The Rape of the Lock James Thomson, “Rule Britannia!” 422-423; “Britannia” 471-480; "Liberty” 309-311; 356-357; 368-398 Spectator No. 11 “Inkle and Yarico” (Steele) Suvir Kaul on James Thomson, 1-8; 131-147; 167-176;

Presentation: Soren Hammerschmidt on Kaul

Resources: Empire of Liberty

10/ 29: Travel and Imperial Adventure

Readings Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels, Book IV Reader: Peter Hulme, "Robinson Crusoe and Friday," 172-222.

Resources

Atlantic Empire: Bibliography

Seminar assignments:

1. One seminar presentation (3 pages; read aloud and take questions). The seminar presentation will take the week's critical reading (essay or book chapter) as its starting point, offer a summary of this reading, and then develop one or more questions about the critic’s approach to the primary text. [Possible choices: Aravamudan (on Behn), Kaul, Hulme, Wood, Hardt & Negri, or Aravamudan (on Equiano).]
2. One discussion opener: take 2 or 3 minutes to pose a fundamental question about one of the 18th century texts under discussion.
3. Seminar paper (due at last meeting of class), a minimum of 15 pages plus a works cited list. The paper should focus on an interpretation of a literary or cultural text, and the interpretation should be carefully connected to relevant criticism and history. The text that is the focal point of the final paper will most likely come from the texts we study in this seminar. However, after consultation with the instructor, you may choose to write about another text from this period.

Required texts:

• Behn, Aphra. Oroonoko: Or, the Royal Slave. Ed Catherine Gallagher and Simon Stern. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000.
• Defoe, Robinson Crusoe; New York: Dell.
• Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano Boston: Bedford Series in History and Culture.
• Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver's Travels. Ed. Christopher Fox. Boston: St. Martin’s Press, 1995.
• Rowlandson, Mary. Sovereignty and Goodness of God, Together With the Faithfulness of His Promises Displayed. Ed. by Neal Salisbury. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1997.
• C.L. James. The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution. 2nd edition. New York: Vintage Books, 1989.
• Gordon Wood, The American Revolution, New York: Modern Library, 2002.
• English 232 Course Reader: you can buy this at The Alternative Copy Shop, 6556 Pardall Road, Isla Visa. Phone: 968-1055.