19th-Century British Fiction (357-0-20)

Topic

Join Us: Conformity and Rebellion in 19th C. Lit

Instructors

Johana Staza Godfrey

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-420: Tues, Thurs 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

In this course, we'll reconsider the nineteenth century as an era of outcast heroes bravely struggling against the hivemind of social oppression. Themes of nonconformity and self-determination run through Victorian literature, as characters struggle to assert their independence and worth against religious, sexual, and social norms. In Jane Eyre's defiant words, "I am a free human being with an independent will." While our main texts will come from major nineteenth-century authors like Charlotte Brontë, Thomas Hardy, Lewis Carroll, and Fyodor Dostoevsky, we will take frequent detours into the more weird and wonderful short stories of the period. We will supplement our thinking with philosophical critique around free will, the social body, and power. Finally, we will end our course with a brief turn to a few iconic modern reworkings of these ideas in neo-Victorian film, such as Sweeney Todd (2007) and Poor Things (2023).

Class Attributes

Advanced Expression
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-registration -- Reserved for English students.