4. semestar

The course will analyze some of the most significant writers of the Victorian literary canon whose works will be considered in relation to the historical and cultural context of 19th-century England. Particular attention will be paid to the impact of industrialization, imperial expansion, and the development of scientific and technological thought. The first half of the course will highlight some of the canonical novelists of the era, such as Charles Dickens and the Brontë sisters. More precisely, it will provide an in-depth discussion of the Dickensian Bildungsroman, the symbolism behind the seminal Satis House, as well as the immensely important ideology of separate spheres and the subsequent positioning of women as either “Angels in the House” or “Madwomen in the Attic.” Therefore, it will also draw attention to the depiction of female madness in the Victorian literary canon. The course will end with “atypical” examples of Victorian prose that mark the transition toward literary modernism. Drawing inspiration from Oscar Wilde’s vibrant literary legacy, the second section will also consider Victorian conceptions of gender, sex, and sexuality. Alongside the dominant genres of the period, attention will also be to popular forms, such as fiction and science fiction. Consequently, the course will also analyze authors such as H.G. Wells, drawing attention to the importance of Darwinism, and Lewis Carroll, providing the students a psychoanalytic approach to analyzing “Wonderland.”