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The Course

This course is a selective study of mostly nineteenth-century British novels. We will read a number of texts–many of which are canonical today, all of which were immensely popular in their time (so plan to have some fun doing the reading)–and we will explore their relationship to that often silent, ever-present consort of Victorian life, namely empire. We will explore both the development of the British novel as well as its relationship to Britain's expanding imperial geography in an attempt to probe the relationship between the novel as a genre and social space. We will examine how the novel reflected on the emergent staples of Victorian life, such as the School, the City, the Job, the Army, the Government–and the Empire. We will look at how ideas of "England" and "Englishness" were shaped in the British novel and propagated outwards, and we will try to understand what role, if any, the colonies might have played in this seemingly national project. Finally, we will exercise our privilege as late-20th century readers to take the long view of 19th-century fiction: in tracing empire from periphery to principal subject of British fiction, we will round out our readings through the early twentieth century and get one quick look (i.e., Naipaul) at the empire striking back.

The Texts (All except *available at the ASUC store and at Ned's on Bancroft)

*Scott, The Surgeon's Daughter (1827), photocopy at Copy Central at Bancroft
Brontë, Jane Eyre (1847), Penguin
Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown's Schooldays (1857), Oxford
Dickens, Great Expectations (1861), Oxford
Collins, Moonstone (1868), Penguin
Haggard, King Solomon's Mines (1885), Oxford
Conrad, Heart of Darkness (1899), Signet
Kipling, Kim (1901), Penguin
Forster, Passage to India (1924), HBJ
Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom (1926) selections OR Orwell essays (photocopy)
Naipaul, A Bend in the River (1979), Vintage

Recommended Texts

Abrams, Glossary of Literary Terms, 5th Ed. OR
Holman, The Handbook to Literature, 5th Ed.
The MLA Handbook
Strunk & White, The Elements of Style
A good dictionary and thesaurus that are available to you at all times

The Requirements

I will expect you to attend class punctually and regularly. Please be prepared to document all absences. Your grade will comprise an average of the papers you write and the midterm and final exams. Please use the MLA format for all papers and be sure to include a title, date, professor's name, and staple on all work. NOTE: All work must be submitted in class on time; to be fair to those who do submit their work on time, I will not accept late papers under any but the most egregious circumstances (and these generally do not include technical difficulties). I will expect you to contribute responsibly and to participate fully in class discussions. Readings are due by the date marked.

Note on Academic Honesty: I will expect every member of this class to adhere to the highest standards of academic honesty. You must fully and unambiguously cite all work that is not your own in your written assignments and give credit to those whose ideas or language you are using. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism, whose penalty may include failing the course and academic dismissal.

Schedule of Readings (due on date marked)

Week 1

1/16 Welcome and Introduction

1/18 The Surgeon's Daughter

Week 2

1/23 The Surgeon's Daughter

1/25 Jane Eyre

Week 3

1/30 Jane Eyre

2/1 Jane Eyre

Week 4

2/6 Tom Brown's Schooldays

2/8 Tom Brown's Schooldays

Week 5

2/13 Great Expectations

2/15 EXAM 1

Week 6

2/20 Great Expectations

2/22 Great Expectations

Week 7

2/27 Moonstone

2/29 Moonstone

Week 8

3/5 Moonstone

3/7 King Solomon's Mines

Week 9

3/12 King Solomon's Mines (Paper 1 due in class)

3/14 Heart of Darkness

Week 10

3/19 Heart of Darkness

3/21 Kim

Week 11

3/25-29 SPRING BREAK, NO CLASS

Week 12

4/2 Kim

4/4 Kim

Week 13

4/9 Passage to India

4/11 Passage to India

Week 14

4/16 Selections from T.E. Lawrence or Orwell (TBA in class)

4/18

Week 15

4/23 Bend in the River (Paper 2 due in class)

4/25 Bend in the River

Week 16

4/30 Review

5/2 FINAL EXAM (IN CLASS)