Nineteenth-Century English Novel: Major Authors

This course will explore the reasons why the nineteenth century is the great age of the novel in England. Far from merely reflecting the society that created it, the nineteenth-century novel played an active part in constructing its readers' ideas of gender and sexuality, imperialism and colonialism, class, religion, commerce, and more. We will investigate how the nineteenth century novel grew into a rich and influential genre that tackled every aspect of Victorian life, from romantic love to international politics. We will pay close attention to the range of narrative techniques novelists employed to help them represent and reshape a complex society. Authors may include Jane Austen, Charlotte and Emily Brontë, Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell, George Eliot, and Thomas Hardy. 3 hrs. lect./disc.