The Victorian Novel: In this course we will study the Victorian (1837-1901) form of the novel, a genre which was distinguishedfor its realism, for its approach to social and political issues, and for its detailed depiction of the subtleties of human action and interaction. Although the novel had existed for well over a century it was not until the 1800s when writers began to take it seriously as means to communicate issues of social significance. New innovations in transportation and publishing technologies made mass publishing possible and as literacy increased, many people turned to the novel for amusement and for interest. The stunning popularity of Charles Dickens, whose 1860-61 work, Great Expectations, we will read, was due to the sensational power of the novel. One of the earliest novelists who will be addressed in the course is Jane Austen, whose "comedies of manners" helped set a tone for later writers including the Brontės (Charlotte, Emily and Anne), who will also figure prominently in the course. Reading will include commentary (both contemporary and current) about the novel, so that we can understand why and how the novel mattered. The later writers will include George Eliot, Thomas Hardy, and Joseph Conrad. (Conrad's novel Nostromo, it is worth noting, was adapted for the movie "Alien.")
BOOKS:

Northanger Abbey

Jane Austen

Marilyn Butler - Editor

288 pages | ISBN 0141439793 Penguin

 

Great Expectations

Charles Dickens 544 pages |
ISBN 0141439564 Penguin

 

Cranford and Cousin Phillis

Elizabeth Gaskell - Author

Peter Keating - Editor

368 pages | ISBN 0140431047 Penguin

 

The Mill on the Floss      

George Eliot - Author

A. S. Byatt - Editor/introduction

704 pages | ISBN 0141439629 Penguin

 

Jude the Obscure  

Thomas Hardy - Author

Dennis Taylor - Editor/introduction/note(s)

528 pages | ISBN 0140435387 | Penguin

 

Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard

Joseph Conrad - Author

Martin Seymour-Smith - Editor

480 pages | ISBN 014018371X | Penguin

 

The Odd Women  

George Gissing - Author

Elaine Showalter - Introduction

416 pages | ISBN 0140433791 || Penguin

 

The Victorian World Picture
David Newsome

Rutgers University Press;

ISBN: 0813527589

 

RECOMMENDED:

Essentials of the Theory of Fiction, 2nd ed.

Michael J. Hoffman, Patrick D. Murphy

Duke University Press

ISBN 0-8223-1823-7 Paperback - $25.95

 

 


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