Professor Hurley is a wonderful instructor for all English majors, even if you have little interest in/knowledge of the eighteenth century. She makes sometimes dry readings really fascinating, and she is incredibly intelligent. She is also one of the best discussion leaders I have ever had-- the class is mostly discussion-based, but she has really thoughtful and probing classes. Most importantly, she is a wonderful resource for students looking to improve their writing. Her comments on papers were more helpful than those in any of my other classes, and I really saw my writing improve. You really have to keep up with reading in her classes though, because you have to submit one to two page reading responses eight times throughout the semester. Reading assignments can be pretty lengthy-- often about 100 pages per class. Class consists of reading responses, 2 essays (5ish pages) and a final exam that is not hard at all. Overall, I really recommend this course to anyone interested in the development of the novel. If you do the readings you will get so much out of it!

You have to write eight reading responses and the professor gives you 12 opportunities and she's a lenient grader on that. You also have two eight page papers, which are a little challenging. The reading can be a lot, but you learn to manage your time well. Overall, a great course and Professor Hurley is amazing!