First-Year Seminar (101-6-23)
Topic
Neverlands and Secret Gardens: 19th Century Britis
Instructors
Samantha Jo Botz
Meeting Info
Kresge Centennial Hall 3-410: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM
Overview of class
It is said that the Victorians invented the idea of childhood: an idyllic state of wonder, play, imagination, and innocence. The orphans, adventurers, tricksters, and runaways in Victorian children's novels befriend animals, outsmart pirates, soar through the London sky, and fall down rabbit holes. What made these stories so popular in the nineteenth century, and why do they continue to enchant readers today? This course will explore key works of the Victorian literature canon to consider how these various narratives reflect rapidly transforming conceptions of childhood during the nineteenth century. From Lewis Carroll's playfully puzzling Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to Rudyard Kipling's novel of colonial espionage, Kim, Victorian children's novels offer a unique perspective on a world in the grip of profound political, economic, and religious change. As we read, we will also reflect on the categories of the human and the animal, the nature of child sexuality, the distinctions drawn between innocence and maturity, as well as differences in gender, race, class, and disability. How does the constructed representation of "the child" speak to the desires, ambitions, and anxieties of a given historical moment? And what does the very category of children's literature suggest about literature's purpose and value?
Teaching Method
Discussion-based.
Evaluation Method
Participation, short writing assignments and final essay/project.
Class Materials (Required)
Charles Kingsley, The Water-Babies (1863); Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass (1865/1871); George MacDonald, The Princess and the Goblin (1871); Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island (1883); Rudyard Kipling, Kim (1901); J. M. Barrie, Peter and Wendy (1911); Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden (1911).
Texts will be available at: Norri.
Class Attributes
WCAS First-Year Seminar
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Reserved for First Year & Sophomore only
Add Consent: Department Consent Required
Drop Consent: Department Consent Required