Kommentar |
The course will examine the novel of manners, which originated in the 18th century and peaked in the 19th century. Based on the writings of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, and Henry James, we will explore the social and cultural realities of their fictional worlds. The novel of manners as a genre puts these realities front and center, with the plot often revolving around individual conflicts that stand in for or lend the spotlight to social issues of the time. We will analyze the social customs, mores, and values emphasized in each text and evaluate their importance in each text before connecting them to the broader social and political contexts.
The first text, we will read will be Jane Austen's Persuasion (1818), so if you want to start reading early, begin with this one. |
Literatur |
Please acquire the following texts in the specified editions:
Jane Austen. Persuasion. Oxford: Oxford University Press, [1818] 2008. ISBN: 9780199535552
Charles Dickens. Hard Times. Oxford: Oxford University Press, [1854] 2008. ISBN: 9780199536276
Elizabeth Gaskell. North and South. Oxford: Oxford University Press, [1854] 2008. ISBN: 9780199537006
Henry James. Daisy Miller and An International Episode. Oxford: Oxford University Press, [1878] 2013. ISBN 9780199639885
All other readings will be made available on Moodle. |