English 335
The Eighteenth-Century British Novel: Texts and Contexts

Professor T. Howe
Washington & Lee University
Winter 2005

Web Projects

Wit, Humor and Propriety in Evelina by Amanda Burns and Ashley Billman
An Exploration of the Use of Humor and Wit in Frances Burney's Evelina and the Conduct Manuals of the 18th Century.
[slight organizational and design alteration by T. Howe]

The "To's" of Humphry Clinker by Katherine Shell
In Humphry Clinker, the reader learns a great deal about the travels of Matthew Bramble, Lydia Melford, Jerry Melford, Tabitha Bramble, and Winifred Jenkins through their letters to their contemporaries.  However, we are never introduced to these people; the responses are not included as part of Tobias Smollett's text.  Who are these people, and what can we learn about the book as a whole through them?  What do the letters tell us about both who writing and who is being written to?  Are we missing something by the omission of a response, for is a rebuttal not also part of the story?  By looking at the textual evidence for these mute characters, we the reader can learn more about how perceptions play out in the plot of the novel, how we should question the validity of each source, and what the personalities of the individual writers are. 

Samuel Richardson and 18th Century Print Culture by Taylor Cooper, Emilee Johnson, and Jenny Plaster
Our website celebrates the life and achievements of Samuel Richardson, author of Pamela, or, Virtue Rewarded, Clarissa; Or, the History of a Young Lady, and Sir Charles Grandison, works that catapulted him into fame during the 18th century.  Starting modestly as a printer, Richardson became an influential force in the literary world.  Our website explores 18th century print culture and the role Richardson played within it.
[slight organizational and design alteration by T. Howe]

Amateur Theatricals in Mansfield Park: "A Little Amusement among Ourselves" by Sarah Strassel and Kathryn Krall
Join us as we navigate within and among the texts and contexts that frame, elucidate, and obfuscate the world of Jane Austen.  Get to know the environment in which Austen came to understand creative expression and from which her conceptions of theatre sprung.  Embedded in the framework of Austen’s own life, her literary works draw upon these varied contexts on a number of levels....   Austen manipulates the play as more than just a device to stimulate plot; she uses the play to highlight tensions and dissentions both in her text and the world around her. [Professor's Pick]

Annotated Bibliographies

** some coding on these sites has been tightened up by the instructor