English 3490 Classroom: Tolentine 205 TR 2.30-3.45

Prof. Hugh Ormsby-Lennon

SAC 466; Phone/ Voice-mail 94655 (It's best to call me at home.)

Office hours: Tuesday 4.00-6.15 and Thursday 4.00-5.15 pm and by appointment.

Home Phone/ Voice-mail 215-923-4260.

Email: Hugh.Ormsby-Lennon@villanova.edu (use this rather than Voicemail)

Home Fax: inquire.

"Great wits are sure to madness near allied,

And thin partitions do their bounds divide."

John Dryden

"When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this

infallible sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him."

Jonathan Swift

"To be normal is the aim of the unsuccessful." C. G. Jung/Grayson Perry

"Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience.

Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life.

They're the aristocrats." Diane Arbus

"You see someone on the street and essentially what you notice about them

is the flaws." Diane Arbus

Goals and Objectives

An intensive study of masterpieces of Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) and Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790). We shall also pay close attention to the engravings of William Hogarth (1697-1764). We shall view the works of these masters through the lens of teratology and disability studies (what used to be known, less properly and in the vernacular, as "freakery") "Freaks R Us"? We shall also study "the world in a phrase," the genre of the eighteenth-century aphorism (and of the proverb: disambiguate!) to which Swift and particularly Franklin, as Poor Richard, contributed so memorably. Maxims are freaks of language. We shall also pay careful attention to the ways in which students can improve their writing.

Swift, Hogarth, Franklin, Freakery

From one perspective, this class comprises a traditional exploration of the works of two canonical eighteenth century writers and of the prints by the period's major English engraver and painter. From another perspective, we shall deploy "freakery" in order to explore the writings of two writers who lived part of their lives on the edges of the English Empire, Swift as a pessimist, Franklin as a (qualified) optimist.

Swift was an unmarried, university-educated, conservative Anglican parson (with a freaky sensibility and of libertarian leanings); he also worked for several years as a Tory spin doctor; he is one of the world's greatest satirists. Swift thought that we are all "freaky." The loopy "I" he chooses for his narrators and personae (or masks) is usually that of a freak (a syphilitic and deranged hack writer, a sea-surgeon who wrestles with insanity, a cannibalistic projector and so on). Gulliver's Travels comprises a thorough-going freak show. Great satire almost invariably emphasizes bodily functions and physical or ethical grotesquerie..

Franklin was an autodidactic, progressive, free-thinking, artisan-married, with children-who transcended his "leather apron" background to become Philadelphia's most active and noteworthy citizen, one of the century's greatest scientists and writers, and one of the American Revolution's leading statesmen and patriots. How can we reconcile Franklin's convictions and achievements with his admiration for Swift as his favorite writer. Franklin emulated Swift's custom of writing anonymously or pseudonymously. As journalist for and editor of The Pennsylvania Gazette, Franklin was fascinated by freaky events because reports of them helped sell newspapers; as a scientist, he strove to understand how the natural world worked and how unusual phenomena could be explained by the laws of nature. Swift and Franklin disagreed passionately on the significances of "project" and "projector."

Swift, Hogarth, and Franklin shared a love of London and its human diversity. But each spent most of his life on the edge of empire, in Dublin and in Philadelphia. Franklin was based in London during some eighteen years, for far longer than Swift. More than any other American writer-although this is rarely recognized-Ben was a Londoner. "Freaks" command as much interest today as they did during the eighteenth century. In recent years, there has been a spate of novels, movies, TV shows, and news stories spotlighting dwarfs, giants, cyborgs, and conjoined twins. Freakery prompts questions that involve more than historical research and scholarly rumination. What makes "us" normal. Why do so many "ordinary" folks present themselves as freaks today, whether by volunteering to appear on talk-show or reality TV or by using forms of "bod-mod"? Is the latter still "freaky" when it involves aesthetic dentistry, plastic surgery, and related medical procedures? Are world-class writers like Swift and iconic figures like Franklin, by some definition, freaks? An important dimension of freakery (and one to which students gravitate!) involves the question: what makes us all human and/or freakish? We shall be mounting a weekly "Freak Watch" in class: keep your eyes peeled as you channel surf, cruise the web, peruse the tabloids, or jostle on South Street. Students from previous incarnations of this class are still mailing me "stuff" about freakery. Are we all freaks?--or is this just mushy thinking and an affront to those who comprise the subjects of disability studies?

Reading List

The Writings of Jonathan Swift, eds. Greenberg and Piper (Norton)=WJS

Jonathan Swift, eds. Ross and Woolley (Oxford)=OA. Please note that this volume has concise and very informative footnotes.

Autobiography, eds. Lemay and Zall (Norton)=Auto. Excellent footnotes, fine thumbnail biographies, and illuminating supplementary materials.

Writings, Vol I and Vol II, ed. Lemay (Library of America)=LA I and II. Page numbers are also provided, as LAA, below to the single volume edition: out of print but still available. Please note the chronology, detailed and indispensable, at the back of each volume.

Wit and Wisdom (Dover). A cheap and convenient arrangement of Poor Richard's proverbs.

William Hogarth, Engravings (Dover)=Hog (Please note the chronology at the back of the volume.) Highly recommended but not required. Individual engraving should be downloaded, by title and by series number, from the Web so that you can enjoy access to the images in the classroom.

James Geary, The World in a Phrase: A Brief History of the Aphorism will undergird out focus upon both Swift and Franklin as aphorists. Students will be primarily responsible for reading this little work-it's good for leaving in the bathroom or perusing as you stand in line-in their own time, but I shall make regular reference to it in class.

Armand Louis Leroi, Mutants (Viking, 2003). A scholarly and richly informative study (with a popular spin and classic illustrations) from a geneticist's viewpoint. Recommended not required.

[Leslie Fiedler, Freaks: Myths and Images of the Secret Self (1978). Unfortunately, this benchmark study (by an oddball English professor) is out-of-print-but it remains available on Amazon.com. Extremely readable and highly recommended.]

Students are encouraged to make use of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and the Oxford English Dictionary (available in Falvey Library databases). I approve of sundergraduates using Wikipedia; its discussion of Hogarth's Four Times of Day is masterly. Students are also encouraged to visit EEBO and ECCO (I shall explain these acronyms). Students should maintain their access to Falvey after they graduate. Don't forget to consult Dan Savage.

[I exhort students to browse through shorter works by Swift and, particularly, by Franklin who excelled in the genre of short journalistic essays. When short works both by Swift and by Franklin are assigned for the same day, please alternate between each author in the order that you read them. Works designated thus-{title}-represent optional readings.]

Jan. 13 Introduction to the class.

15 Begin reading Gulliver's Travels (ignore, introductory pp. II-IX.). Screening of the mini-series begins.

20 Gulliver's Travels, Book I. Screening continues

22 Gulliver's Travels, Book I. Commence Book II. Screening continues.

27 Gulliver's Travels, Book II. Screening continues.

29 Gulliver's Travels, Book III. Screening continues.

Feb. 3 Gulliver's Travels, Book III, Commence Book IV. Screening continues.

Franklin, The Grand Leap of the Whale, Contempt for the Thames, LA 1, 553-556, 569; LAA, 559-562 563.

5 Gulliver's Travels, Book , IV. Conclude screening.

Feb 10 Gulliver's Travels, Book IV. Also pp. II-IX; Banbury Saint, WJS 409-10; "Correspondence," WJS, 584-6

12 Swift, A Beautiful Young Nymph, Lady's Dressing Room, {Strephon and Chloe}, WJS, 338-40/ 535-8, {540-47} OA, 533

Franklin, LA I/LAA: Matrimonial Happiness, 151-5, Young Man in Goal [i.e. gaol/jail], 298; Drinker's Dictionary, 266-71; On Drunkenness, 212-6; Antediluvians, Old Mistresses, Polly Baker, 303-8; LA II 196-210/LAA 936-950, On Drink; Gout and Franklin.

In order to discover how variously and freakily Ben wrote for his own newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette, you should begin reading a selection of titles (LA 1, LAA: 75-78) and of contents (LA 1, LAA, 136-183; browse throughout the semester.

Hogarth, Harlot's Progress, 18-23; A Midnight Modern Conversation, 25; Rake's Progress, 29 Series # III; Beer Street and Gin Lane, 75-76.

17 Complete readings from last class.

19 Franklin, Auto 1-40. Composed in four parts, 1771-1790.

We shall concentrate upon this text. You may wish to consult "First Aid on Franklin" on my home page for help with the text.

[Hogarth, Harlot's Progress, Beer and Gin, 18-23, 75-76.]

24 Franklin, Auto 40-76. Ben's thirteen virtues. Read D. H. Lawrence's snide rejoinder, as reprinted in Auto, ed. Lemay 289-298.

Franklin, Plan of Conduct, LA I, LAA, 72.

26 Hogarth, Industry and Idleness, 60-71 FIRST PAPER DUE (5-8 PAGES)

Mar 10 Swift, On the Death of Mrs Johnson, OA 484-491; Poems to Stella, WJS 525-6, 527-8. {Advanced students should acquaint themselves with the Journal to Stella, WJS, 441-7; OA, 330-7; 272-80.}

Franklin, My Plain Country Joan, LA 1, LAA, 293-4; II, Alas, Poor Mungo, Twelve Commandments, The Elysian Fields, Breakfast, 139-141; 179-80; 184-6. LAA, 878-80,919-920, 924-6.

12 Complete Tuesday's readings. Start concluding Auto, 77-146

As Franklin aged, he lost some control of his narrative thread, so that becomes difficult for some readers to avoid some skimming. Individual details, however, remain extraordinarily rich.

17 Conclude Auto, 76-146.

Swift, A Description of the Morning, Of a City Shower, Verses on the Death, WJS, 518-520, 556-7 (lines 245-299); OA 229, 256, 522-3 (lines 252-298)

Franklin, On the Paving of Chancery Lane, LA 1, 563; LAA, 569.

Hogarth, Four Times of Day, Hog 42-5. Inspect and contemplate the rejoinders by John Adams, Poe, Melville, Twain, as reprinted in Auto, ed. Lemay, 244-6, 258-266,268-270, 272-4

19 Conclude Tuesday's readings. Reflect upon, and be prepared to discuss, the ways in which Gulliver resembles Franklin.

24 Swift, Tale of a Tub, WJS 263-4, skip Apology, 275-296. Consult the excellent introduction and notes, OA 617-635. Please be aware that this work, one of the greatest (and most subversive) satires in the western tradition, continues to perplex and dumbfound modern scholars. So, it's OK to feel baffled, but prepare yourself to laugh at the outstanding jokes and kaleidoscopic style.

26 Tale of a Tub, WJS 301-310, 318-326, 331-336, 340-345.

Franklin, To the Royal Academy, LA II, 212-205

Mar 31 Tale of a Tub, WJS, 345-355, 359-371

Swift, Progress of Poetry, WJS, 526-7; {On Poetry, WJS, 567-578}

Swift, Verses on the Death, WJS, 556-7 (lines 242-299); OA 522-523 (lines 243-298); On Dreams, OA, 563-4.

Franklin, Auto, 33-7

Hogarth, 41, 95 The Distrest Poet, Credulity, Superstition and Fanaticism

April 1 Remember that All Fools' Day was Swift's favorite day of the year.

Apr 2 Swift, Mechanical Operation of the Spirit, WJS 397-414.

Franklin, Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, LA I, LAA 57-72. Franklin's first anonymous pamphlet continues to perplex critics; its thrust can be hard to grasp

Franklin, Letter to Ezra Stiles, LA 2, 438-40; LAA, 1178-80

7 Swift, "Bickerstaff Papers," WJS, 426-441, focusing upon 426--29, 433, 434-6; duplicated more generously in OA, 193-216, where you should focus upon Elegy 204-8. Please consult the excellent notes.

In attacking John Partridge-a contemporary almanac maker and quack doctor, a "student in physic and astrology" or "philomath"--Swift adopts the persona/voice of Isaac Bickerstaff, an imaginary professional rival. He thus provided Franklin with the fictive, satiric model for Ben's own pseudonymous and quarter-century masquerade as"Poor Richard" Saunders.

Franklin, Poor Richard, 1733-47, LA 2, 445-502. LAA, 1185-1241.

Auto, 79 (for Franklin's misleading account of Poor Richard).

Read the yearly Prefaces which comprised for their colonial readers a yearly soap opera. Browse comprehensively for recurrent topics in the thematically unsorted Maxims as reprinted by Lemay. In the Dover edition of Franklin's Wit and Wisdom, themes are helpfully grouped by topic.

This is juncture at which James Geary's The World in a Phrase becomes truly apposite, esp. pp. 126-130.

Apr 9 Easter Vacation

14 Franklin, Poor Richard Improved, 1748-1758, LA 2, 502-564; LAA, 1542-1304. Compare the sundry incarnations of Poor Richard, 1733-47, 1748-57 and 1758 (Father Abraham's Sermon, 1294-1303).

Swift, When I come to be old, Apothegms and Maxims, OA, 23, 181-6.

Verses on the Death , WJS, 550-551 (lines 1-70); OA, 514-516 (lines 1-70).

Geary, The World in a Phrase, 81-87 (Rochefoucault).

16 Complete Tuesday's readings.

Plus Swift, Genteel and Ingenious Conversation, Introduction, OA, 562-582. Writing as the ignoramus Simon Wagstaff, Swift tries to palm off platitudes on the public. (Read swiftly; don't become bogged down.) Dialogue II, OA, 563-602. (Browse)

Discussion of aphorisms, maxims, proverbs, platitudes, cliches, Pinterisms, chatter,

us..

Swift, A Tritical Essay, WJS, 422-6.

Dublin and Philadelphia (subalternity). Exhaustive knowledge of the readings for the next three classes will not be required on the final examination, except where specific passages have been discussed in class.

21 Swift and Franklin both wrote on problems of currency in Ireland and in Pennsylvania. Often there wasn't enough cash money, or it could seem worthless (as I write, currency supplies have just expired in Gaza). Delve, as far as is humanly possible, into Swift's Drapier's Letters, WJS, 487-496; OA, 422-460 (NB: notes 669-766) and into Franklin's Paper Currency, LA 1, 119-35; LAA, 119-35 (his first pamphlet published in Philadelphia); LA 1, 286-90; LAA, 286-90. The varying availability of cash money on either side of the Atlantic created financial problems for modern states. Wiki John Law (the financier), The South Sea Bubble, and the Pennsylvania Pound; follow links. (Think: Heckuva Job Hank Paulson? Think: Bernie Madoff?) Prepare questions for class, after triangulating them from our national and the world's economy.

23 Both Swift and Franklin were, as we have had occasion to note, fascinated by problems of language and discourse. Read Swift, Tatler, CCXXX, WJS, 448-452;

OA, 252-5 (required); Letter to a Young Gentleman, WJS, 471-486 (might be somewhat of a struggle, I know).

Franklin, To Noah Webster, LA 2, 433-438; LAA, 1173-8 (required)

28 Swift, Meditation on a Broomstick, WJS, 421-2; OA, 60-61

Franklin, Meditation on a Quart Mugg, LA 1, 216-8; LAA, 216-8

Reacquaint yourself with the titles of Franklin's contributions to The Pennsylvania Gazette, LA 1, 75-78; LAA, 75-78. Browse swiftly some texts, from 136-283.

Swift, {The State of Ireland}, A Modest Proposal, WJS, 496-507; OA, 492-499; Verses on the Death, WJS, 558-9 560-562 (lines 339-370, 407-484)

Franklin, Polly Baker, LA 1, LAA, 305-308; {Observations concerning the Increase of Mankind, LA 1, LAA, 367-374}; Sid Mehemet Ibrahim, LA 2, 417-420; LAA 1157-60 (last public writing, March 23; dies April 17).

30 Class Finale

Swift, Epitaph and will, OA 603-4.

Franklin, Epitaph, LA 1, LAA, 93; Auto, 226.

Syllabus Addendum. If wider navigation of Swift's work may at times confirm some of our initial limited or limiting impressions of the Dean, however brilliant, as man and writer, then wider familiarity with Franklin, a lesser writer but a greater man, continually surprises. Yet without Swift as his satiric exemplar, Franklin could not have written so well. I encourage more ambitious students, as the semester progresses, to delve and to delve again into the oeuvre of both writers. In personal consultation with you, I shall be happy to offer both sea-marks and landmarks

FINAL EXAMINATION: TOLENTINE 205, MONDAY MAY 4, 10.45-1.15

FINAL PAPER (8-12 PAGES)AND REWRITES DUE

PROTOCOLS FOR MY CLASSES: AN ORMSBY-LENNON VADE MECUM

At the end of earlier syllabi, I have hitherto provided information on:

Class Attendance

Classroom Discussion (I try to inspire it, but finally it's up to you)

Note-taking

Essay Assignments (Note: "Titles"; "Epigraphs"; "Rewrites")

Grades

Final Examinations (Note: Open book; passages for identification; essay questions)

Conferences

Academic Honesty

Etiquette

All that information is provided on my home-page, in a single document that applies to all the classes that I teach. By saving paper, I wish to be eco-friendly. Furthermore, you will now be able to gain easy access to these "Protocols" in the event that you mislay your syllabus. I shall be delighted to discuss this Vade Mecum in class and to answer any questions it prompts. Res ipse loquitur? It seems self-explanatory to me, but nothing ever is. So feel free to kick the Protocols around in class (but, remember, finally, that I remain the umpire).

Academic Accommodations for Qualified Students with Disabilities

"It is the policy of Villanova University to make reasonable academic accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. If you are a person with a disability and wish to request accommodations to complete your course requirements, please make an appointment with the course professor as soon as possible to discuss the request. If you would like information on documentation requirements, contact the Office of Learning Support Services at 610-519-5636, or visit the office in Geraghty Hall."

.

7 Swift, On the Death of Mrs Johnson, OA 484-491; Poems to Stella, 525-6, 527-8. [Advanced students should acquaint themselves with the Journal to Stella, WJS, 441-47, OA 230-7, 272-80]

Hogarth, Before and After, 37-8

9 Franklin, Matrimonial Happiness, 151-5, Advice to a Pretty Creature, 261-2, Country Joan, 293-4, Polly Baker, 305-8, [Check Celia Single, 188-190, Alice Addertongue, 196-200], Apology for a Young Man in Goal, 298.

Letters to Catherine Ray (1755), 477-82, Letters to Madame Brillon, (1777, 1782), 919-92, 966-68. Letters to Madame Helvetius (Dec 7, 1778, 1784?), 924-5, 990-1 Letter to Madame La Frete (1778?), 925-6; Letter to Elizabeth Partridge (1779), 1012-1013, Letter to Carmichael (1780), 1021-2

[You should be aware that Franklin wrote the Silence Dogood papers, anonymously, when he was only sixteen; please familiarize yourselves with them: LA, 5-42.]

Hogarth: Before and After, 37-8

14 GULLIVER'S TRAVELS

14 Swift, Gulliver's Travels, Book I

16 Gulliver's Travels, Book II,

21 Gulliver's Travels, Book III

23 Gulliver's Travels, Book IV

21 Gulliver's Travels: the mini-series

23 Gulliver's Travels: the mini-series FIRST PAPER DUE

14 Hogarth, Four Times of Day, 41-45

16 Hogarth, Marriage a la Mode, 51-56 TO BE CONTINUED

Please consult the notes in the Oxford Swift for all texts other than Gulliver's Travels

March 28 Gulliver's Travels: Book into Mini-series.

March 30 Gulliver's Travels: Book into Mini-Series.

April 4 Complete Gulliver's Travels; commence A Tale of a Tub

April 6 A Tale of a Tub

April 11 A Tale of a Tub; Franklin, "Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity," I, 57-72

Franklin, II, "To the Royal Academy," II, 202-5.

April 13 Vacation

April 18-20 Mutants, 3-105

April 18 A Tale of a Tub

April 20 Franklin, "Poor Richard," II, 445-502

Swift, "Partridge Papers." Norton ed., 426-441, Oxford ed. 193-216 (consult notes)

Swift, "Directions to Servants," Oxford ed., 562-582

Swift, "Conversation," 562-582 (and sample 582-602)

April 25-27 Mutants, 105-217

April 25 "Poor Richard," II, 502-564; readings of Swift from previous class.

Swift, "On the Death of Dr. Swift," Norton ed, 550-562

Franklin, "Idea of the English School," "Appeal for the Hospital," I, 348-354, 361-7

April 27 Continue readings from previous class.

Franklin, "Paper Currency," I, 118-135 (sample)

Swift, "Drapier's Letters," Oxford ed., 421-461 (sample)

Swift, "A Modest Proposal"

Franklin, "Polly Baker"

May 2-4 Mutants, 247-357

May 2 Franklin, "Silence Dogood," I, 5-17

Swift, "A Meditation upon a Broomstick," "Tritical Essay," Norton ed., 421-6

Franklin, "Meditation on a Quart Mugg," I, 216-8

Franklin, "Ephemera etc," "Wine, Gout, Leg," II, 182-5; 197-212

May 4 Swift's epitaph and will, Oxford ed., 603-4

Franklin, Epitaph, I, 91

Franklin, Letters to Noah Webster and Ezra Stiles, II, 433-40

Franklin, "Ephemera," and "The Elysian Fields," II, 182-5

Masochists should browse in Swift, Tatler 230 448-452 and "A Letter to a Young Gentleman," 471-487 (I shall refer to these to works)

There will be two formal papers (4-6 pp; 7-10 pp). Every student should write about both Swift and Franklin. I shall email you in detail about prospective topics. For the first paper (due March 23) I suggest a close reading of a work by or a passage from Swift and Franklin. Or you may wish to compare two of their works. As always, I encourage student creativity in devising topics. For example, you might imagine a dialogue between Swift and Franklin; or you might essay some kind of pastiche or parody.

All papers must be typed, except for those completed in the classroom. The arrival of late essays will be noted and the student's final grade will be penalized accordingly. Students must retain a printed copy of their papers. The assumption that a copy of an essay will continue to reside on a diskette or a hard drive does not remain an acceptable substitute for hard copy. In the event that a paper goes unaccountably astray, it is the student's responsibility to have a replacement. Papers should, ideally, be handed to me in the classroom; but, in certain circumstances, they can be handed to a secretary in the English Department (please make sure that she has noted the time and date the essay was submitted. Papers can also be slipped under my office door (but this is the least desirable mode of submission). Because of viruses (and other considerations), essays will not be accepted on e-mail. With the instructor's prior approval, papers may be faxed on certain occasions.

Formal essays should have a title and an epigraph. For further advice about my criteria for a successful essay, please see the link to "Tips on Writing" on my home page. For epigraphs, please see my home page. Those tips will be further updated with links to comparable advice provided by fellow instructors in the Core Humanities Program and in the English Department. Other useful information about papers and journals is provided from links on my home page. For example, there are links to "Keeping a Journal" by Professor Evan Radcliffe and to "Effective Use of Quotation from Other Writers" by Professors Debra Romanick and Professor Margaret Boerner.

In the term paper (due at the end of the semester), I expect a more wide-ranging examination of themes addressed by Swift, Hogarth, and Franklin and, if you wish, their relationship to freakery. Other topics include contrasts between class status of Swift and Franklin and its implications: Swift was a conservative who wrote about servants and bemoaned the economic misery of the native Irish; Franklin was a liberal businessman who owned (and traded in) slaves; his criticism of slavery came too late in life for some modern historians to find his attitudes either consistent or convincing. The authors' religious backgrounds and beliefs, their differing approaches to original sin and to progress/ "perfectionism"/science/Enlightenment, their attitudes to popular culture (particularly the almanac), and their views of language will all reward careful consideration. In student essays I seek quality of style and insight rather quantity of pages. Further clarification and help will be provided in class discussion and in e-mail communications.

"Speaking across the curriculum"--that is, the encouragement of a student's ability to speak eloquently and intelligently--has been accorded a new importance on our campuses in America. Once the class has got under way, there will be a regular schedule of reports and of student responses to them; a roster will be posted on a link on my home page, and students will be responsible for knowing the dates and subjects of their reports or responses. These reports and responses will not, however, represent an opportunity for other students to abstain from debate. I shall keep a record of individual student contributions in my files. Please note that your performance in classroom discussion will account for at least 15%of your final grade.

Final grades will be based primarily upon the performance of undergraduates as writers in their essays and in the final examination. I acknowledge a recurrent paradox: that some students who write well are not active in classroom discussion. The requirement that all students contribute to classroom discussion is designed to smoke the laconic out of their lairs.

All students are exhorted to revise their first paper. The new grade will not replace the old one, but improvements will be registered in a new grade which should improve the undergraduate's overall grade. Please note that a revision will NOT be accepted as a revision UNLESS it is accompanied by a copy of the original paper with my suggestions and corrections upon it. Undergraduates are encouraged to visit the Writing Center; I shall keep a copy of the peer counselor's report in each student's individual file.

E-mail has become an important part of all our lives; I shall keep a record of each undergraduate's communications with me. E-mails sent during the course should not be treated as "shopping lists" or as other casual scribbles designed "for your eyes only." Grammar, spelling, and general literacy will thus be scrutinized.

The final examination is open-book: bring notes, syllabi, e-mails, laptops, and whatever else you wish to the examination room. This examination is important insofar as I am convinced that a student's performance on the identification and commentary question reflects her familiarity with crucial ideas and themes in the works that we have discussed during the semester. Please note that I often comment in the class-room that "This is an important passage; students should realize that it comprises just the kind of passage that will appear in the identification and commentary question." (Hint: take notes.) Student essays on the final will provide further indications of a student's familiarity with works and themes. There will also be an essay question.

A variety of other "imponderables" also enters into the assignment of a final grade. Improvement (particularly in writing) can prove a major consideration. Remember to bring your books to class. A student's overall attitude is important, and it will be noted. Please remember, too, that grades in every class must display some "curving."

Grading is an art not a science. I refrain from assigning "cut-and-dried" percentages for written work, for classroom discussion, for the final examination, and for other components of the semester's grade. I do, however, expect a competent performance on the final examination. (Taking into account "speaking across the curriculum," I offer as a rule of thumb of percentages: 60% writing; 25% final exam; 15% class discussion.) Rest assured that I try to be scrupulously fair and, all things being equal, invoke mercy as well as justice.

I'm sorry that I have to state what might seem obvious to you, but university policy requires that we make a statement about the unacceptability of plagiarism. Given the enticements of the Web (schoolsucks.com etc), plagiarism seems to have gone high tech. You should realise, however, that your instructors' search engines are awesomely powerful . . . At a more old-fashioned level, professors pass students' papers around and I may well have read "that paper you borrowed from a friend who submitted it to another class." We shall probably be visited by a member of the university administration who will discuss, in greater detail, the principles of academic honesty, the search-and-destroy techniques for rooting out academic dishonesty, and the procedures for dealing with reports of student dishonesty that have been formally lodged by instructors.

You should be aware that I have successfully reported students for plagiarism in the past and that I shall not hesitate to do so again. The university protocols for dealing with my reports protect the interests of both professor and student, but they are, necessarily, time-consuming and labor-intensive. Far better that you should avoid, scrupulously, any suspicion of plagiarism on your part. Let me underscore my previous remarks about the web. Students should be aware that powerful search-engines have been devised for detecting any plagiarism from materials on the www; the resources of the web may seem to make it easier to pull of plagiarism, but they make academic dishonesty far more detectable.

Students can, alas, encounter sudden crises in their lives--I always have a sympathetic ear--but please do not wait until the end of the semester to explain why you haven't attended class or submitted papers. I am not nosey about your personal dramas, but a call from the University's Counseling Center or a doctor's note will help substantiate your explanations. The university requires that students be prepared to document their reasons for missing class. Please note university deadlines for "WXing a class." If your name appears on my grade sheet and you have, for whatever reason, disappeared from class without leaving a paper trail, I gather from the Registrar's Office that your capacity to receive a passing grade will be very gravely compromised.

"It is the policy of Villanova University to make reasonable academic accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. If you are a person with a disability and wish to request accommodations to complete your course requirements, please make an appointment with the course professor as soon as possible to discuss the request. If you would like information on documentation requirements, contact the Office of Learning Support Services at 610-519-5636, or visit the office in Geraghty Hall."

Feb 1 Swift: Poems to Stella, 525-6, 527-8, 531-33; Journal to Stella, WJS 441-47; OA, 230-7, 272-80; Baucis and Philemon, OA 102-6/WJS 513-8.

Finish Franklin readings of 27 Jan

Hogarth: Industry and Idleness, 60-71.

"Servants, Chatter, Almanacs and Popular Writing"

Feb 3 Swift: OA: Directions to Servants, 549-55; Compleat Collection, 563-602

Hogarth: Hudibras beats Sidrophel, 12; Rake's Progress, 34, Marriage a la Mode, 53

8 Survey Franklin's Poor Richard: LA: Poor Richard, 1185-1304 (esp. 1185, 1189-90, 1194-6, 1203-4, 1206-7, 1214-1216, 1221-2, 1224-6, 1248-51, 1278, *1294-1303; and relish as many of the proverbs as you can)

10 Franklin: Continue Poor Richard

Swift: A Tritical Essay, WJS, 422-6; Progress of Beauty, WJS, 522-5; Bickerstaff Papers, WJS, 426-41 and OA, 193-197 (note the overlap); The Progress of Beauty, WJS, 522-5

15 Franklin: Conclude Poor Richard

Swift: Conclude Bickerstaff Papers

17 Retrospect: "Servants, Chatter, Almanacs, and Popular Writing" in Swift and Franklin

22 London, Writing, Freaks

Swift: Descriptions, WJS, 518-20; Progress of Poetry, 526-7 [also look at On Poetry, 567-78/OA 535-49]; Survey Swift on London: WJS, A Tale of a Tub (Digressions etc), 275-301, (Also 301-4); 311-317, 326-331, 336-341, 355-359, 369-371; 518-520; "Tom Clinch" (to be distributed);

[Published, anonymously A Tale of a Tub was Swift's first major work to appear in print; he was 37. By contrast, Franklin's Dogood papers appeared, also anonymously, when he was 16. (You should examine these quickly, LA 5-42.) Contrast the two endeavors.]

Hogarth: Southwark Fair, 27; Distrest Poet, 41; Rake's Progress, 35; Four Times of Day, 42-5

24 Continue Swift's Digressions in Swift'sTale

Franklin: Auto: 32-39, 105-8 (projects in Philadelphia and London); LA, She-Wrestler, 151; Death of a Lion and a Burnt-Offering, 180; Sea-Monster, 262; Rattle-Snakes, 359-61; A Flexible Catheter, 446-7; the Arithmetical Curiosity, 448-51; the magical circle 451-53; Spouts and Whirlwinds, 454-466; Bifocals, 1104-10; an Instrument, 1116-8; Pleasant Dreams, 1118-22

Hogarth: Undertakers, 40; Four Times of Day, 42-45; The Reward of Cruelty, 80; Tyburn, 70.

Mar 1 Continue Swift's Digressions; Battel of the Books, 373-396

Continue Franklin; LA, Craven Street Gazette, 653-659; Infallible Method, 688-9

3 Sideshow, ix-59; Retrospect of London, Writing, Freaks

First Paper and Journals due.

15 Swift: Gulliver' Travels: intro materials; Lilliput; WJS, iv-59)

17 Gulliver's Travels: Brobdingnag, 63-124

22 Gulliver's Travels: III, 127-187

29 Gulliver's Travels: Houyhnhnms, 191-260

31 Gulliver's Travels: the video

Apr 5 Franklin: Autobiography (Although this is the most celebrated autobiography in American literature, it presents difficulties for sustained reading and interpretation. Please read and print out my synopsis which is available from a link on my home page.)

7 Franklin: Autobiography

Apr 12 Franklin: Autobiography

Religion and Language

Survey Swift: WJS, Tale of a Tub ("Three Brothers"), 301-310, *318-26, 331-336, *340-55, 359-369; *Mechanical Operation, 397-414; Tatler, 448-452; Argument, 460-47; A Letter, 471-486

Hogarth: Hudibras, 5-16; Sleepy Congregation, 36; Credulity, Superstition, and Fanaticism, 95 (Whitefield)

14 Swift: Continue "Three Brothers"

Franklin: LA, Dissertation (Ben's early heterodoxy) LA, 57-72; Auto, 87-90; LA, 304-5, 308, 439-40, 1407-9 (all on Whitefield); LA, Backward Improvements + Jesus 1173-80

19 Swift: Conclude "Three Brothers"; Mechanical Operation, WJS, 397-414; Tatler, 448-452; Argument, 460-47; A Letter, 471-486

21 Retrospect on Religion and Language in Swift and Franklin

27-9 The Subalternity of Swift and Franklin: Ireland and America, Dublin and Philadelphia

Swift: Wood's Halfpence, WJS,489-96; OA 422-446; WJS, A Modest Proposal, 502-9; Verses on Death, 550-562; OA, 23 (old age envisioned young), 422-446.

Franklin: LA, A Modest Enquiry into the Nature and Necessity of a Paper Currency, 119-135; also1127, 1167-8, 1285-6.

May 3 No class (=Friday)

5 Last class. Legacies (browse in the appraisals of Franklin by Poe, Twain, Weber, Lawrence in the appendixes to the Autobiography). Swift endowed a madhouse, St. Patrick's Hospital in Dublin. Farewells. Final Papers and Journals will be due on Friday May 6.

Writing assignments