Department of English

The seminar shall study Victorian tale-telling in relation to the variety of genres in which tales were told, most notably fiction, poetry, and painting. Through a comparison of fiction, long poems, Pre-Raphaelite painting, and illustration, we shall consider ways in which the medium alters not only the content of a story, but its ideology. Works we shall read include: Thackeray, Vanity Fair; Dickens, Oliver Twist and perhaps David Copperfield; Tennyson, Idylls of the King and selected short lyrics; Browning, The Ring and the Book; Christina Rossetti, Goblin Market; Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White.

Each student will write a 10-page paper on some work or works not covered on the syllabus. In addition, there will probably be a midterm and a final examination.