Course Catalogue

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This course examines widely-circulated Scottish Literature of the eighteenth century (incorporating cheaply-produced literature such as periodicals, pamphlets, chapbooks and broadsides); the motivations for its production; the networks through which it was circulated; and its significance in the wider context of the Scottish Enlightenment.

1x1hr lecture; 1x1hr seminar per week over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus.

This is one of the Honours options in Scottish Literature and may not run every year. The options being offered this session are available on MyCampus.

Available to all students fulfilling requirements for Honours entry into Scottish Literature, and by arrangement to visiting students or students of other Honours programmes who qualify under the University 's 25% regulation.

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The standard assessments for this course are: 

■ Essay (2500 words) - 70% 

■ Set exercise [blogging exercise on the course Moodle 1000 words] - 30% 

If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available: 

■ There are no alternatives to the assessments, but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustment (Students should follow the usual process for extensions).

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.  

This course aims to: 

■ develop an advanced awareness of the major authors, themes and literary networks of the period;

■ analyse the prose, poetry and song of major authors in the contexts of the eighteenth-century popular press, social and intellectual networks, and the Scottish Enlightenment;

■ engage with diverse literary materials and genres to understand motivations for the production and circulation of popular literature in eighteenth-century Scotland;

■ discuss at an advanced level the concept of 'popular literary enlightenment', as considered throughout the course.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ critically examine texts by a series of authors traversing different literary genres;

■ discuss general distinctions between 'popular' and 'official' literature;

■ comment on different genres of popular literature produced in eighteenth-century Scotland;

■ describe literary and social networks of eighteenth-century Scotland and explain their contribution to popular literary culture;

■ analyse the significance of literary networks and popular literature in the wider context of the Scottish Enlightenment.