Teaching the 18th-Century Novel: Tips, Texts and Techniques

The editors at Studies in the Novel are seeking submissions of brief, informal pieces that discuss practical concerns for teaching novels of the long 18th century. Such pieces are sought for an ongoing collection of Teaching Tools hosted at studiesinthenovel.org. We welcome descriptions of any practice related to the teaching of novels as well as submissions of exemplary syllabi, reading lists, or lesson plans with rationale.

500-1000 word narratives might focus on any of the following:

• A comparative review of two, or more, student editions of the same novel.
• An explanation of why you teach [insert novel here] using the Broadview, or Norton, or Penguin, or Oxford, etc. edition.
• A list of essential critical pieces for teaching the rise of the novel course to undergraduates…to graduate students.
• A list of essential critical pieces for teaching a specific text, author, or genre.
• Tips for incorporating 18th-century novels into general education courses.
• Tips for incorporating 18th-century novels into interdisciplinary or CORE humanities courses.
• Strategies for introducing students the period-specific peculiarities of 18th-century fiction (e.g. currency, marriage customs, fashion etiquette, laws and legal proceedings, medical practices, etc.)

Note: We currently have particular need of content covering the following authors: Richardson, Fielding, Sterne, Smollett, Defoe, and anything related to the teaching of 18th-century American prose fiction.

Teaching Tools submissions should be sent to Joel Sodano, affiliate website editor for 18th-century content, at jsodano@albany.edu. Submissions are welcome at any time, and accepted pieces will be published to the site on a rolling basis.