English 313, Victorian
Literature
Spring 2007
MWF 10:25 - 11:15,
Weinstein 303
Prof. Elisabeth
Gruner
Ryland Hall 303-C
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.
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