Gender inequality, upper class dominance and uncaring callousness. Whose writing is being typified here, Jane Austen's or Byron's? She is often seen as a conservative figure and he as a radical, yet both were searing about the inequality and elitism of Britain. Despite writing spikey criticisms of their world, both rather enjoyed comedy and both loved romance. And despite everything they both rather liked being part of the upper set.
Both also were drawn to unpowerful men and dominant women, solemn and slow-burning couples, as well as sensational febrile figures who are possessed of a demonic self-destructiveness. They loved countryside and were deeply suspicious of the modern world. They extended this suspicion to contemporary literary fashion and felt more comfortable with C18 styles than with the so-called Romanticism of their peers. Yet it is Austen’s concept of the novel form that became its dominant future and Byron’s ironic eye and deflationary style which feel more modern than the high seriousness of the later C19. Both loved polishing language and watching it sparkle.
Their lives were different. Hers was circumscribed by gender and convention, his was expansive and flamboyant. Both achieved greatness at a young age and died young while still at the height of their powers. In this course we will look at the texts by these two writers to see if we can find what unites them as well as what divides them.
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes for this course are:
- To become aware of Austen’s attitude to her contemporary world
- To understand Byron’s thoughts on politics and beliefs
- To find out how they view relationships
Classes
1. Sense and Sensibility (1811) - inequalities and abuse
2. Sense and Sensibility (1811) - morality and relationships
3. Childe Harold (1812-1818) - politics and nature
4. Childe Harold (1812-1818) / Don Juan (1819-1824) - psychology of character
5. Don Juan (1819-1824) - relationships
Required reading
Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen (any edition)
Childe Harold - Lord Byron (any edition)
Don Juan - Lord Byron (any edition)
Typical week: Monday to Friday
For each week of study you select a morning (Am) and an afternoon (Pm) course, each course has five sessions, one each day Monday to Friday. The maximum class size is 25 students. Your weekly courses are complemented by a series of two daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.
| c.8.00am-9.00am |
Breakfast in College (for residents) |
| 9.00am-10.30am |
Am Course |
| 11.15am-12.30pm |
Plenary Lecture |
| 12.30pm-1.45pm |
Lunch |
| 1.45pm-3.15pm |
Pm Course |
| 4.00pm-5.15pm |
Plenary Lecture |
| c.6.00/6.15pm-7.15/7.30pm |
Dinner in College (for residents) |
| c.7.30pm onwards |
Evening talk/event |
Evaluation and Academic Credit
If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses.
Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £65 per essay.
For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.
Certificate of attendance
A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically within a week of your courses finishing.
