Romantic and Sentimental Literature (MA)

Course content

You'll examine the selected literary and aesthetic works in the light of the historical circumstances in which they were produced, and will develop a broad view of the major changes in sensibility and ideology of the period.

You'll study modules from a range of options offered by the Department of English and Related Literature and other arts and humanities departments. You'll also hone your research skills with dedicated training, and complete a research dissertation. You'll study 180 credits in total.

Modules Dissertation Modules You can investigate contemporary issues such as: accounts of revolution the place of women writers the role of periodicals as a cultural medium the importance of ideas of Empire and the Orient the representation of landscape Romantic aesthetic theory and poetic practice You'll be introduced to key voices and themes from the Romantic period. Taught by scholars who specialise in the period, our seminars will explore some of the literary conversations, debates, hopes and disappointments which were produced by this age of revolution and innovation. You'll also learn valuable research, writing and presentation skills. Topics may include using library and online research resources, use of archives, academic writing and how to get work published. Core modules Romantic Texts and Contexts Postgraduate Life in Practice Option modules You will also study three option modules. Examples can be found below. Some option module combinations may not be possible. The options available to you will be confirmed after you begin your course. Gothic Bodies Wollstonecraft to Jane Austen: Femininity and Literary Culture Literature, Medicine, and Metropolis, 1785-1850 Representing the City, 1750-1850 Can the Madwoman Escape the Attic?: Race, Slavery and Nineteenth-Century Fiction Transforming Worlds: The Interdisciplinary Eighteenth Century Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning. Dissertation Dissertation Your dissertation offers you the chance to examine a topic in depth and to develop your research skills. In Summer Term and over the vacation you'll work on a 12,000-14,000-word dissertation with regular supervision from a member of staff. You'll submit your dissertation in September. Recent dissertation topics have included: Representations of Prostitutes in Romantic period novels Indian mythology in Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poetry Representations of men in Jane Austen’s novels Perceptions of the body in French and British Revolutionary Women’s Writing Images of Breath in the work of Mary Shelley and Percy Bysshe Shelley Romantic poetry and astronomy Constructing the French ‘other’ in the 1790s