This course traces the development of the realist novel in modern Britain: how
it emerged as a form and why, by the middle of the nineteenth century, it was
different things to different people: the best way to tell a story for some and
an effective instrument of social change for others. Although we will be
charting its historical development, we will also be paying attention to formal
aspects of the novel through close readings. Primary readings include Daniel
Defoe, Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, Charles Dickens, Emily Bronte, George Eliot,
Joseph Conrad, Virginia Woolf. We will also read a few key essays on the
development and form of the European novel. Requirements include short written
assignments, one mid-term exam and two 5-7 page essays. Attendance and class
participation are mandatory.