ENG 272 LogoBritish Literature II: Revolution, Reaction, Reform examines British literature from the late eighteenth century to the present, a period that witnessed the American and French Revolutions, slave revolts such as the Haitian Revolution, a “revolution in female manners,” the Industrial Revolution, the twentieth-century revolutionary wave in Europe, as well as World War I and World War II, and, of course, artistic revolutions. We will consider how the authors and literary works of this period might be reacting to change, advocating for reform, or participating in literary revolutions—whether revolution is understood in the sense of “revolving” or of “revolting,” going full circle to return to a previous (more perfect?) time or experiencing/effecting a great alteration or rupture.

Access the works for annotations assignments in COVE Studio here: ENG 272, Fall 2025

The digital edition of Frankenstein for annotations and the map project can be found here: Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1818)

Timelines, Galleries, and Maps


Penicillin | Gallery Image

This mould frozen in time is housed at St. Mary's Hospital in London, a gift from the man that changed the medical world, Alexander Fleming. 

Penicillin Vacinations only became wildly available for the first time in 1946, however played a big role during the emergence of World War Two. According to the Science Museum website, the demand for Penicillin was so great, its numbers… more

Posted by Abby Green on

Northern Wales | Place

North Wales held a unique place in Victorian literature, celebrated for its dramatic landscapes, rugged coastlines, and ancient castles, which inspired a sense of romanticism and historical depth. Writers and poets (such as Lord Tennyson and William Wordsworth) drew on its natural beauty and folkloric tradition to evoke themes of sublime nature, national, identity, and cultural memory…

more
Posted by Aubrey Costello on

Lake Geneva | Place

Lake Geneva, located on the border of Switzerland and France, is a famously connected to Lord Byron, who spent time there in the early 19th century. Byron was part of a circle of writers and artists, including Percy Shelley and Mary Shelley, who gathered around the lake and were inspired by its dramatic natural beauty. The striking landscapes of Geneva, with its mountains and…

more
Posted by Aubrey Costello on

Coleridge Cottage | Place

 

Coleridge cottage, located in Nether Stowey, Somerset, was the home of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge form 1797 to 1799. It is where he wrote some of his most significant works including parts of, “the Rime of the Ancient Mariner,”. And “Kubla Khan.” He also stayed here and collaborated with Williams Wordsworth on early Romantic poetry. The cottage is closely linked…

more
Posted by Aubrey Costello on

England’s Lake District | Place

 

William Wordsworth, “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” (1807) is a joyful reflection on the beauty of nature. The poem describes the speaker encountering a lovely patch of daffodils dancing in the breeze, which uplifts his spirit and fills hum with a sense of peace. Wordsworth empathizes the emotional and spiritual connection between human and the natural world, showing how…

more
Posted by Aubrey Costello on

Seamus Heaney and the Grauballe Man | Timeline Entry

Posted by Aubrey Costello on

WWI: The Earth Remains, Though We May Not | Timeline Entry

Posted by Aubrey Costello on

Industrialism: The Loss of Nature and Self | Timeline Entry

Posted by Aubrey Costello on

Darwin’s Dilemma: The Victorian Approach to Evolution | Timeline Entry

Posted by Aubrey Costello on

Shelvocke: Action Against the Albatross | Timeline Entry

Posted by Aubrey Costello on

Group posts by user


Group posts by type





Group visibility
Public - accessible to all site users

Group register
Show on registration page
Submitted by Amy Gates on