L.008.32240 Heroes and Heroines in Victorian Fiction

Lehrende: Anna Lienen

Veranstaltungsart: Proseminar

Orga-Einheit: Anglistik/Amerikanistik

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Semesterwochenstunden: 2

Unterrichtssprache: Englisch

Min. | Max. Teilnehmerzahl: - | 40

Voraussetzungen und Empfehlungen:
Introduction to Literary Studies

Ziel der Veranstaltung:
to give an overview over different forms of the novel in Victorian England
to apply the concepts and terminology acquired in the Introduction to Literary Studies to the selected texts
to practise reading strategies and term paper writing skills

Literatur:
Participants need to purchase the following texts:
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
Mary Barton, Elizabeth Gaskell
Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde

Additional fictional texts may be selected together with the participants.
Students may also have to read supplementary theoretical texts that deal with the novels we will discuss in class.

Kommentar:
Not only was the Victorian age a time of great social and economic change, it also marks the rise of the novel as the dominant literary form. The novels written during this period cover various topics, however, one uniting aspect is their focus on the individual in relation to society. This is also reflected in the titles of some of the canonical Victorian novels we will be dealing with in the course of this seminar: Jane Eyre, Mary Barton, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Tess of the D’Urbervilles.
We will analyse the techniques used to characterise these heroes and heroines and the various functions characters can have. Attention will also be paid to plot structure, setting and narrative technique as well as themes that are typical of the Victorian era. The first novel we will discuss is Jane Eyre. Students must have read the novel before the semester starts.

Wichtige Hinweise:

• This seminar is open to all students who have successfully passed the Introduction to Literary Studies.
  
• All participants must have read Jane Eyre BEFORE the semester starts.
  
• Students are expected to prepare the reading material at home and contribute actively in class.
  
• Knowledge of the primary texts may be checked by unannounced quizzes.
  
• Detailed information on requirements for credits will be given in the first session.
  
• This seminar covers the Teilmodul "Methodische Grundlagen – Periods and Texts". It will contain an introduction to reading strategies and term paper writing. This will include the set-up, formatting and revising of papers as well as citing sources and compiling bibliographies.