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19th Century Novel

ENGL 055.001
instructor(s):
TR 12-1:30

We will study the evolution of the nineteenth-century novel as it moves from Jane Austen's pastorals to the ruder ones of Thomas Hardy, exploring ways in which the novel at once reflects, soothes, and exacerbates the unspoken tensions within its culture. We will trace the disruptive pressure of increasingly powerful women and the intensifying pull of the past, which becomes more difficult to resist ass modernity takes shape.

Novels we shall read include Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, Thackeray's Vanity Fair, Dickens' David Copperfield, and Hardy's Jude the Obscure. Each student will write a midterm and a final exam, including a novel of your choice beyond the syllabus.

fulfills requirements