Dr. Margaret E. Mitchell

ENGL 6115, Seminar in British Literature II

Victorians and Neo-Victorians: Choosing Our Ghosts

R 5:30-8:15

TLC 1204

What is it that we want from the Victorians? Why do they at once repel and fascinate us? Why do we persist in probing the underworld that even the Victorians themselves supposedly preferred to ignore (with the exception, of course, of those who studied it exhaustively)? Why did someone write to the Victorian Studies list serve several years ago asking for advice on how to stage a Jack the Ripper Halloween party, and why did the request spark such indignation? Can we formulate the answer to these questions as nearly as Foucault does when he asserts that “What sustains our eagerness to speak of sex in terms of repression is doubtless this opportunity to speak out against the powers that be”? What is the subtext of our ongoing dialogue with the Victorians—what are its political, sexual, and aesthetic underpinnings? These and other theoretical questions drive the emergent and vital field of Neo-Victorianism, which seeks to understand our perpetual engagement with the corseted, top-hatted nineteenth century. In this class we will enter into that conversation, alternating between Victorian novels and more recent texts that have, for various reasons, been dubbed “Neo-Victorian,” and investigating why—and how—the Victorians haunt us still.

Texts*: The French Lieutenant’s Woman, John Fowles (Back Bay); The Meaning of Night, Michael Cox (Norton); Fingersmith, Sarah Waters (Riverhead); The Crimson Petal and The White, Michel Faber (Harvest); Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier (Harper); The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Brontë (Oxford World); The Woman in White, Wilkie Collins (Oxford World); Bleak House, Charles Dickens (Penguin); Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy (Penguin); The Nether World, George Gissing (Oxford World). Critical reading (TBA) will be placed on electronic reserve.

*Note that I have cut two novels, in the interest of sanity: Gaskell’s Ruth and Michèle Roberts’s In the Red Kitchen, which is out of print in any case.

Course Requirements and Policies

As this is a graduate class, perhaps it goes without saying that attendance and active participation are expected. Generally, one doesn’t miss grad classes. If for some reason you must miss class, make sure you contact me and stay on top of any work you miss. If you miss more than two classes, you should not expect a grade above a C unless your reasons are extremely compelling; you will need to meet with me to discuss your position in the class.

However, this won’t happen.

No lateness, no electronic disturbances. Please.

Response papers: You will submit 3 1-2 page response essays in the course of the semester; see syllabus for the due dates for the group to which you are assigned. These must be submitted to me by email no later than noon the day of class, as I may use them to help structure our discussions; I will also expect you to raise questions in class generated by your written response. These short essays should present an original, focused, thesis-driven analytical reading of some aspect of that week’s text in the context of critical ideas relevant to the class. They will be graded. You may write a fourth in the final week of class if you wish to replace an earlier grade.

Oral presentation: You’ll be responsible for one 15-minute (~ 8-page) thesis-driven, analytical oral presentation incorporating critical sources. This is essentially a conference paper—in other words, a formal presentation. (Which is to say that although a few unscripted asides are fine, you’ll mostly be reading.) You should talk to me beforehand about your topic and progress. (You will turn in a hard copy, with a works cited page in MLA style, immediately after your presentation.) You may certainly elect to incorporate visual technology into your presentation, but make sure style doesn’t overwhelm substance.

Research Paper: A 15-20 page critical essay on a topic you will devise. You’ll submit a 2-page prospectus beforehand. I will provide more detailed guidelines a little later in the semester.

These are long novels. In certain extreme cases, I’ve divided novels over two weeks. In general, though, you’ll read one fairly long novel for each class, in addition to critical material. Some of them are genuine page-turners, but still: give yourself time. (One doesn’t quiz graduate students, as a rule, but should I find it necessary to monitor reading progress, I would devise some method.) It’s essential that you keep up. Furthermore, I expect to hear everyone’s voice every week. If you aren’t participating actively, I will schedule a meeting with you in order to generate strategies to get you talking.

Reading Schedule

(Note: Critical selections will be announced later.)

Jan 7 Intro

Jan 14 Bleak House, Charles Dickens (to p. 485, or through chapter 30).

Jan 21 Bleak House, Charles Dickens (finish). Response paper group 1. Pres: Dave.

Jan 28 Fingersmith, Sarah Waters. RP group 2. Pres: Lisa.

Feb 4 ­The Woman in White, Wilkie Collins. RP group 3. Pres: Shelley.

Feb 11 The French Lieutenant’s Woman, John Fowles. RP group 1.Pres: Jonette.

Feb 18 The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Brontë RP group 2. Pres: Pam.

Feb 25 Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier. RP group 3. Pres: Stephanie.

March 4 The Nether World, George Gissing RP group 1. Pres: Heather.

March 11 The Crimson Petal and the White, Michel Faber. RP group 2. Pres: Tom.

March 18 The Crimson Petal and the White, Michel Faber. RP group 3. Pres: Jessica.

Spring Break

April 1 Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy. Pres: Micki.

April 8 Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy, Pres: Nancy.

April 15 The Meaning of Night, Michael Cox. Pres: Kim.

April 22 Conclusion

Final Paper—deadline to be decided.