19th Century British Literature
Class Information
Instructor: Miller, Elizabeth
CRN: 43015
Time: MWF 12:10-1:00
Location: 146 Olson
Description
This class will survey British literature of the nineteenth century, focusing on major literary developments of the Romantic and Victorian periods and their interrelation with key historical and cultural events. We will read novels, short stories, poetry, and drama, touching on an array of literary genres including realism, the Gothic, science fiction, fantasy, detective fiction, the lyric, the dramatic monologue, and farce. We will also examine the historical and cultural context for these literary developments, such as the industrial revolution, the rise of a mass print readership, imperialism, feminism, secularism, Darwinism, consumerism, and mass education. Our goals will be: 1) to develop a solid understanding of nineteenth-century British literature and its many innovations; 2) to situate that literature within an historical context; 3) to enhance your skills in reading and interpretation; 4) to strengthen your abilities as a writer and researcher.
Grading
Papers, Quizzes, Final exam, attendance
Texts
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
Hard Times, Charles Dickens
The Sign of the Four, Arthur Conan Doyle
The Jungle Book, Rudyard Kipling
Goblin Market, Christina Rossetti
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde