English 339: Victorian
Literature and Thought
Section # 22108318
Spring 2010: Mondays & Wednesdays 2:00-3:15 p.m. - AN-157
This course provides an introduction to Victorian literature and culture: in other words, to the literature and culture of England during the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901. In addition to attempting to recreate a sense of the Victorian reading experience, in this class we will consider several works of Victorian literature and their relevance to many of the literary, social, political, and aesthetic issues of the time.
- Reading List
Charlotte Brontė, Jane Eyre - Penguin edition
Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Penguin edition
*Charles Dickens, David Copperfield - Penguin edition
Elizabeth Gaskell, Ruth - Penguin or Oxford edition
Christopher Ricks (ed.), The New Oxford Book of Victorian Verse
Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Broadview edition
Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband - Penguin edition - Course Objectives
-
· to
read, study, and
enjoy
a selection of major works of Victorian literature
· to consider the role of literature as a type of historical document and a form of social commentary -
·
to
develop the skills necessary for critical approaches, interpretation, and
literary analysis of Victorian literature and to apply these skills to the
works studied in this class
· to discuss and evaluate the relevance of the selected works to our own modern world
*PLEASE NOTE: We will be reading David Copperfield in weekly instalments, so please DO NOT read past the end of Part I (Chapter III) before our first class meeting!
The complete syllabus for this course will be distributed in class during our first meeting in January 2010, at which time it will be posted on Blackboard [https://blackboard.cmich.edu/webapps/login/].
Children's Literature
Resources