106-285 Victorian Literary Culture

Note

Available as 106-385 at 3rd-year level.

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Subject Description

Victorian Britain was the great imperial and industrial power of its time but it was also a divided and self-doubting society within which critiques of modernity, celebrations of the sexualised body and new forms of esoteric and transgressive spirituality and narrative emerged. This subject explores the complexities and organisation of Victorian literary and intellectual culture emphasising fictional and non-fictional prose works. Students who complete this subject should have a broad overview of British literary culture in the period 1840-1900; have general knowledge of recent criticism of Victorian writing especially focusing on issues of sexuality, spirituality and imperialism; have further developed their own analytic and writing skills in relation to literary studies.

Assessment

Written work of not more than 5000 words.

Prescribed Texts

Course reader available from the department.

• C Dickens, Hard Times. Penguin.
• G Eliot, Daniel Deronda. OUP.
• T Hardy, Tess of the D'Urbevilles. Penguin.
• R Kipling, Kim. Penguin.
• H G Wells, The Time Machine. Signet.