The nineteenth century was a period of exploration over land and sea as the British empire expanded across the globe. In this survey, we will consider intersections between these global explorations and artistic innovations in literature, from Matthew Lewis’s Journal of a West Indian Proprietor to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. Reading diverse genres (including short stories, fairy tales, poems, novels, plays, and non-fiction works), we will pay particular attention to the ways writers critique empire and negotiate the real and the fantastic in their exploration of new worlds both at home and abroad. Readings will include works by Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Christina Rossetti, Oscar Wilde, and Joseph Conrad. Course requirements: weekly blog posts, short midterm and final exams, and a final paper.