Essay title:
Discuss the role and significance of ‘metamorphosis’ in Restoration and early-eighteenth-century literature –
Make reference to the work of two writers.
These are the writers and poems to discuss in the essay:
John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester:
‘The Imperfect Enjoyment’ (c. 1680)
‘The Disabled Debauchee’ (c. 1675)
‘Upon Nothing’ (c. 1678)
Aphra Behn:
‘The Disappointment’ (c. 1680)
All poems are available in volume one of Stephen Greenblatt and others (eds), The Norton Anthology of English Literature, 9th edn (New York: W. W. Norton and Co., 2012).
All poems by Rochester are also available in Frank H. Ellis (ed.), The Complete Works (Harmondsworth: Penguin Classics, 1994).
Essay objectives as given by the professor:
In this assignment, you will be expected to demonstrate your ability to synthesise your analysis of the texts, themes, and contexts of Units 7 (attached) nto a coherent overview. While it is important that you demonstrate a good knowledge of the period addressed in this question, you must focus on specific literary texts. This will help you to present a clear argument that responds to the question, to structure your essay in a logical fashion, and to include plenty of close reading of your textual examples so that your argument is fully supported.
As in your previous essays, you should:
· Show detailed knowledge of primary texts.
· Show some knowledge of relevant critical texts (examples of which can be found in the ‘References and Additional Reading’ section at the end of each Unit) and apply this to your analysis of the primary texts.
· Engage with the terms of the essay question: challenge them if necessary and ask how far they are applicable to the texts you discuss.
· Construct a coherent and persuasive argument, which is clearly structured and logical.
· Use quotations and extracts from primary and secondary texts to support your argument.
· Examine the details of particular texts in relation to your knowledge of broader contexts, acquired from the course material and additional reading.
· Write clearly, with close attention to grammar and spelling, but also try to interest and engage the reader.
· Adopt an accurate and consistent approach to referencing your primary and secondary sources.
· You should adopt the MHRA footnote-bibliography system of referencing consistently throughout your essay.
Essay guidelines as given by the professorL
This assignment tests your knowledge of the texts, themes, and contexts studied in Units 7.. It asks you to consider the development of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century literature in relation to the wider contexts of the historical moment of its production. The question requires you to address literary representation and experimentation in a rapidly changing cultural environment as moneyed supplant landed interests, as global trade imports new tastes and fashions and as pre-publication censorship ends and writers turn towards a broader public print market from aristocratic patronage. You should consider the nature of the varied social and cultural adjustments during this period and demonstrate an awareness of how authors articulate a response. You should also consider how the range of genres in the period are deployed for different reasons and perform different functions.
Whichever texts you choose to examine, your own position in response to the terms of the question should be clear and unambiguous. You should present a cohesive and thoughtful argument, provide a coherent structure for your essay, and employ focussed textual analysis to support each stage of your argument. You should also demonstrate a good grasp of the principles informing Restoration and early-eighteenth-century literature, as well as an appreciation for its historical context. However, be sure to avoid making generalisations or writing a historical ‘review’ of this period. Overall, your analysis of the primary texts should be central to your essay, your argument should be well supported by your critical reading, and your essay must have a clear, logical structure.