ENGL 355T(F) Fanaticism (W)
Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century writers of literature and political philosophy repudiate fanaticism-over and over again. Whether as a religious, political or amorous posture, fanaticism is universally decried and never avowed. But what is fanaticism, and why should it be considered such a threat, particularly during a period that for the most part embraced an enlightened secular rationalism? In this course, we will explore these questions by considering literary texts that dramatize fanaticism in light of accounts by such philosophers and historians as Kant, Rousseau, Hobbes, Hume, Burke, Carlyle, Mill, William James, and Adorno. Literary readings will be drawn from works by Swift, Wordsworth, Dickens, Eliot, Balzac, and Henry James. We will also look at drawings and engravings by Hogarth and Goya. While some of these works oppose to fanaticism a capacity for sympathy, self-examination, and political flexibility, others ascribe it to the self-contradictory tenets of nineteenth-century literary realism and political liberalism. Since fanaticism has recently had considerable political currency, we will also consider some contemporary accounts, by Walter Laqueur and others, which reanimate the debates and concerns of the course.
Format: tutorial. Requirements: students will meet with the instructor in pairs for an hour each week, will write a 5-page paper every other week (five altogether), and comment on their partners' papers in alternate weeks. Emphasis will be placed on developing skills not only in reading and interpretation, but also in constructing critical arguments and responding to them in written and oral critiques.
Prerequisite: a 100-level English course, except 150. Enrollment limit: 10 (expected: 10). Preference to junior and senior English majors.
(1700-1900 or Criticism)
Tutorial meetings to be arranged. SOKOLSKY