Introduction - British Literature 1798-Present

“Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes origin from emotion recollected in tranquility,” stated William Wordsworth, a poet of the Romantic period.  Literature of this period emphasized intense emotions and free expressions of the writers.  Wordsworth’s emotional approach to writing is how I am going to view the poetry and novels I will be reading in my British Literature class.  Prior to Wordsworth, poetry was not necessarily about expressing emotions, but because of his work, writers would continue to express their deepest feelings and emotions into the 21^st century.

 I am now a sophomore at Silver Lake College of the Holy Family and have added history as my second major.  This semester I am taking British Literature 1798 – Present to continue exploring the great literary works in British literature.  As an English and history major, I can appreciate the effects literature has on history and the way it impacts society.  Of particular interest to me is how literature is divided into periods based on common themes and contrasting ideas.  In this class, I am looking forward to exploring different authors, from poets to novelists, in order to understand British life from the 19^th to 21^st century.  There are three texts we are focusing on in this class: Charlotte Brontë’s Villette, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway.  I have not read any works by either of these authors before, so I am greatly looking forward to spending time with each one.  During the class, we will also be focusing our attention on several poets, including Wordsworth, Byron, Keats, Dickens, Browning, Hopkins, and several others.