2026/2027
Romance to Novel: Transformations of English Prose Fiction, 1485 – 1800
Type:
Optional course (faculty)
Delivered by:
School of Philological Studies
Where:
Faculty of Humanities
When:
3 module
Open to:
students of all HSE University campuses
Instructors:
Artem Serebrennikov
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
3
Contact hours:
36
Course Syllabus
Abstract
In English, there is a subtle difference, hard to convey in other languages, between the terms romance and novel, finally crystallized by the late 18th century. The first term implies an “archaic” prose narrative, built around amorous and heroic deeds performed in a legendary or idealized setting. The second implies that the narrative describes a recognizable everyday reality with some degree of realism, and is the standard designation of the genre in modern English. The suggested course traces * how the vision of the genre and function of narrative prose evolved from the late Middle Ages to the late Enlightenment; * what different forms and styles are combined under the label of either romance or novel; * what motives, images and traditions that originated in English-language prose in the Early Modern era endure up to this day. The following texts are projected to be discussed during the course: 1. Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur 2. Philip Sidney, Arcadia 3. John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress 4. Aphra Behn, Oroonoko 5. Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe6. Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels 7. Henry Fielding, Tom Jones8. Tobias Smollett, Roderick Random 9. Samuel Richardson, Clarissa 10. Laurence Sterne, Tristram Shandy 11. Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto12. Clara Reeve, The Old English Baron13. Ann Radcliffe, The Italian 14. Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey
Learning Objectives
- The course aims to provide students with a coherent understanding of the development of English narrative prose from the late medieval romance to the mature novel of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, as well as to teach them to analyse historical changes in literary form, narrative strategies, and conceptions of fiction.
Expected Learning Outcomes
- understand why the emergence of the novel cannot be reduced to a linear transition from “fantastic” to “realistic” narrative;
- understand the role of the narrator, point of view, composition, letter-writing, authorial commentary, and other forms of narrative organisation;
- distinguish between the historical meanings and functions of the terms romance, novel, history, and fiction
- understand the role of the narrator, point of view, composition, letter-writing, authorial commentary, and other forms of narrative organisation
- analyse the role of space, travel, adventure, the marvellous, and everyday life in different forms of narrative prose
- trace the transformation of the literary protagonist from the exceptional hero of romance to the private individual of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries;
- understand the relationship between literary form and its historical context, including the development of print culture, the literary market, the reading public, colonial expansion, and changing ideas about individuality and private life;
- distinguish between the historical meanings and functions of the terms romance, novel, history, and fiction;
- understand the principal stages in the development of English narrative prose from Thomas Malory to Jane Austen;
- compare works from different periods on the basis of specific textual features rather than merely broad thematic similarities;
- formulate an independent research question and develop an argument in support of a textual interpretation;
- work with contemporary scholarly literature in English;
- present the results of literary analysis in the form of an oral presentation and an academic essay.
Course Contents
- Topic 1. Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur
- Topic 2. Philip Sidney, The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia
- Topic 3. Margaret Cavendish, The Blazing World + Aphra Behn, Oroonoko
- Topic 4. Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe + Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels
- Topic 5. Samuel Richardson, Clarissa & Henry Fielding, Tom Jones
- Topic 6. Laurence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
- Topic 7. Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto
- Topic 8. Ann Radcliffe, The Italian
- Topic 9. Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
Assessment Elements
- Final EssayA research essay in English involving a comparative analysis of at least two works studied in the course
- Participation in discussions of the required readings
- Oral PresentationThe presentation should focus not on summarising the work but on a specific historical-literary or poetological problem. The student should formulate a thesis and support it through textual analysis
Interim Assessment
- 2026/2027 3rd module0,5*Final Essay+0,25*Participation in discussions +0,25*Oral Presentation
