HL2005 Victorian Literature

Victorian Literature introduces a selection of literary works from the nineteenth century, while drawing attention to neglected aspects of this extremely versatile, fast changing, and intriguingly self-conscious age. The course aims to foster excitement about the indeterminacies, doubts, and fissures that shaped the Victorian period's greatest cultural achievements. At the same time, we shall critically reconsider the many legacies of the shifts it saw in epistemological, cultural, and specifically literary conceptualisations.

This module provides an overview of the most important works, themes, and concerns of the Victorian age, one of the most prolific periods of English literature. You will learn how to analyze, discuss, and write criticism about canonical texts and the popular culture of the time. You will also be encouraged to evaluate critically your attitudes and responses to "the Victorians".