LITS2306 READING SCHEDULE MODULE ONE:
PRE- AND EARLY MODERN PERIODS: FROM CLASSICISM TO NEO-CLASSICISM

WEEK 1: INTRODUCTION

Required Readings:

Lec. 1: Introduction / What is Philosophy?

Lec. 2: What is Aesthetics / Critical Theory?

• Abrams, M. H. The Mirror and the Lamp: "Introduction: Orientation of Critical Theories" (3-29):
  • "Mimetic Theories" (8-14)
  • "Pragmatic Theories" (14-21)
  • "Expressive Theories" (21-26)
  • "Objective Theories" (26-29)

Tutorial:

• Though there is no tutorial this week, please answer the questions found at the end of the notes below in order to test yourself on what we discussed this week

Recommended Readings:

Off-line:

On-line: Please take the time to explore the following PhilWeb pages:

• PhilWeb:
  • Branches of Philosophy: Aesthetics / Critical Theory

    • Audience: the Pragmatic Theory of Art

    • Author: the Expressive Theory of Art

    • (Literary) Form: the Objective Theory of Art

    • (Literary) History / Intertextuality / Canonicity

    • Representation: the Mimetic Theory of Art

  • History of Philosophy

Notes:

• 01A What is Philosophy?
• 01B What is Critical Theory?

WEEK 2: ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY I / CLASSICAL AESTHETICS I: IDEALISM

Notes:

• 02A Plato The Republic

• 02B Plato The Republic: Book X

• 02C Questions on Plato [test yourself]

• 02D Plato on Language [Tutorial Handout]

WEEK 3: ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY II / CLASSICAL AESTHETICS II: MATERIALISM

Notes:

• 03A Aristotle Categories

• 03B Aristotle Posterior Analytics

• 03C Aristotle Physics

• 03D Aristotle De Anima

• 03E Aristotle Poetics

• 03F Questions on Aristotle [test yourself]

• 03G Aristotle on Language [Tutorial Handout]

WEEK 4: EARLY MODERN PHILOSOPHY: THE ENLIGHTENMENT

Required Readings:

Lec. 1: Seventeenth Century Continental Rationalism

• René Descartes
  • Meditations on First Philosophy [1641]:
    • Meditations I and II (see extract entitled "New Foundations for Knowledge," pp. 22-26 in Cottingham)
    • Meditations II and VI (see extract entitled "The Incorporeal Mind," pp.145-152 in Cottingham)
  • Principles of Philosophy [1644] (see extract entitled "Supreme Being and Created Things," pp. 74-80 in Cottingham)
• Baruch [Benedict] Spinoza Ethics [1665]: Part III Prop. 2 (see extract entitled "The Identity of Mind and Body," pp. 152-154 in Cottingham)
• Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
  • New Essays on Human Understanding [1704; pub. 1765]: Paras. 44-53 (see extract entitled "Innate Knowledge Defended," pp. 32-36 in Cottingham)
  • New System [1695]: (see extract entitled "Substance, Life and Activity," pp. 85-91 in Cottingham)

Lec. 2: Eighteenth Century British Empiricism

• John Locke Essay Concerning Human Understanding [1690]:
  • Book I: Chs. 1 and 2 (see extract entitled "The Senses as the Basis of Knowledge," pp. 26-32 in Cottingham)
  • Book II: Ch. 8 (See extract entitled "Qualities and Ideas," pp. 80-85 in Cottingham)
  • Book II: Ch. 27: (see extract entitled "The Self and Consciousness," pp. 187-192 in Cottingham)

• George Berkeley Principles of Human Knowledge [1710]: Part I Paras. 1-30 (see extract entitled "Nothing Outside the Mind," pp. 91-97 in Cottingham)

• David Hume
  • A Treatise of Human Nature [1739-1740): Book IV Part I Sec. 6 (see extract entitled "The Self as Bundle," pp. 197-203 in Cottingham)

  • Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding [1748]:

    • Sec. XII (see extract entitled "Skepticism versus Human Nature," pp. 37-41 in Cottingham)

    • Sec. IV Part I and Sec. XII Part 3 (see extract entitled "The Limits of Metaphysical Speculation," pp. 97-103 in Cottingham)

Tutorial: the Aristotelian Approach to Criticism

• We will attempt to apply Aristotle's theory of poetry to Sophocles' Oedipus Rex (bring a copy, if you have one; at the very least, read it if you have not already done so)

Recommended Readings:

Off-Line:

On-line:

• Early Modern Philosophy:

  • Descartes

  • Spinoza

  • Leibniz

  • Locke

  • Berkeley

  • Hume

Notes:

• 04A Descartes Meditations

• 04B Locke Essay Concerning Human Understanding

WEEK 5: EARLY MODERN NEO-CLASSICISM I: NEO-PLATONISM AND CHRISTIAN MORALISM

Required Readings:

Lec. 1:

• Dante
  • The Banquet [1304-8] (pp. 120-122 in Adams; pp. 249-250 in Leitch)
  • Letter to Can Grande Della Scala [1318]" (pp. 120-122 in Adams; pp. 251-252 in Leitch)
• Sir Philip Sidney An Apology for Poetry [1595] (pp. 143-162 in Adams; pp. 326-362 in Leitch): read
  • from "Now then we go to the most important imputations laid to the poor poets" (p.154) to " . . . Plato banished them out of his commonwealth." (p.154);
  • from "Among the Romans a poet was called vates . . ." (p.144) to " . . . a principal recommendation." (p.146); 

Lec. 2:

• Sir Philip Sidney An Apology for Poetry [1595] (pp. 143-162 in Adams; pp. 326-362 in Leitch): read
  • from "Poesy therefore is an art . . ." (p.146) to " . . . have a most just title to be princes over the rest." (p.147); and
  • from "Wherein we can show the poet’s nobleness . . ." (p.147) to " . . . Psalm of Mercy well testifieth." (p.151)

Tutorial: the Platonic Approach to Criticism

• We will try to apply Plato's theory of poetry (as well as heirs such as Sidney's) to Oedipus Rex

Recommended Readings:

Off-Line:

• Harland, Richard Literary Theory: from Plato to Barthes:

  • Ch. 3 "The Rise and Fall of Neoclassicism": "The Idealising Strain" (pp. 33-35)

On-Line:

• Late Medieval Aesthetics / Critical Theory: Dante
• Early Modern Aesthetics: Sidney

Notes:

• 05A Dante's Critical Theory
• 05B Sidney An Apology for Poetry

WEEK 6: EARLY MODERN NEO-CLASSICISM II: NEO-ARISTOTELIANISM

Required Readings:

Lec. 1:

• Alexander Pope An Essay on Criticism [1711] (pp. 274-282 in Adams; pp. 441-458 in Leitch): read
  • Comments on Representation: ll. 68-200 and ll.289-383
  • Comments on the Reader: ll.1-67, 201-288; and 384-643

Lec. 2:

• Samuel Johnson
  • Rambler 4 (March 31, 1750): "On Fiction" (pp. 317-319 in Adams; pp. 462-466 in Leitch)
  • "From The History of Rasselas: Chapter X" (1759) (pp. 319-320 in Adams; pp. 466-467 in Leitch)
  • "From Preface to Shakespeare" [1765] (pp. 320-327 in Adams; pp. 468-480 in Leitch)

Tutorial:

• We shall continue to try to apply the Platonic and Aristotelian approaches to criticism.

Recommended Readings:

Off-line:

• Harland, Richard Literary Theory: from Plato to Barthes: Ch. 3 "The Rise and Fall of Neoclassicism":
  • "French Neoclassical Theory" (pp. 41-45)
  • "The British Version of Neoclassicism" (pp. 45-49)

On-Line:

• Early Modern Aesthetics
  • Pope
  • Johnson

Notes:

• 06A Pope An Essay on Criticism

• 06B Johnson "On Fiction"

• 06C Johnson The History of Rasselas: Chapter X

• 06D Johnson Preface to Shakespeare

END OF MODULE ONE

[you should be working on your term paper]