Department of English

This course examines the growing cultural, historical, and political significance of the nineteenth-century novel, from Austen through Wilde, as it evolves from the principled and controlled novel of the early-nineteenth century to the turbulent and rebellious novel of the fin de siecle. In a period of intensifying social and economic change, the novel inevitably reflected and affected society's transformation by simultaneously soothing and aggravating the tensions within its culture. We will examine the novel's attempt to represent "reality" as well as its various methods of conveying that reality. Readings may include works by Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, Charles Dickens, Emily Brontë, Charlotte Brontë, William Thackeray, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy, and Oscar Wilde. As this is a course on the nineteenth-century novel, the reading load will of necessity be quite heavy. Course requirements may include two essays, a presentation, regular attendance, and lively participation.