English 313, Victorian Literature

Spring 2007

 

MWF 10:25 - 11:15, Weinstein 303

Prof. Elisabeth Gruner

Ryland Hall 303-C

egruner@richmond.edu

 

The period spanning the years 1832 to 1901 in the British Empire was a period of rapid political, economic, social, and literary change.  Industrialization and imperial expansion mark an era also known for the flowering of both the realist novel and children's literature, as well as biography, autobiography, and new experiments in both epic and lyric poetry. English 313, the period course in Victorian literature, provides a survey of selected literature of the Victorian period, including some if not all of the listed genres and emphasizing the following goals:

* To acquaint students with the major literary genres and figures of the Victorian period, and to explore the process of canon formation in and after the period.

 

* To provide students with an understanding of some of the sociological factors and intellectual movements of the Victorian period, both as reflected and as constructed by the literature of the time.

 

* To develop more effective analytical skills in both discussion and writing, through class discussion, in-class exams, and course papers.

 

* To explore some of the variety of on-line resources available for the scholar of Victorian literature, with an eye to developing a more thorough awareness of what the resources and their limitations are, and perhaps to developing our own.

 

* To identify some of the research "problems" in Victorian literature, and to begin to find approaches to those problems through research and writing.

 

This course will proceed primarily by discussion; your presence and regular, informed participation are crucial to your success in the class and the success of the class itself as a shared scholarly endeavor.

 

 

 

 

 

Schedule of Readings & Assignments

 

 

 

Course Texts

 

 

Course Policies

and Requirements

 

Grades and Grading Standards

 

 

Course Assignments

 

Victorian Links

 

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