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Professor Priya Joshi
English 244, Fall 2005
Tu Th 1:10-2:30, 104 Ritter
Office Hours: Tu 3-4; Th 10-12
Office: 1117 Anderson Hall
Phone: 215-204-1806
e-mail: pjoshi@temple.edu

The Course

Roughly six thousand novels were published in Britain during the long years of Queen Victoria's reign (1837-1901). Our course is a selective study of some of the blockbusters of the period—so plan, above all, to have some fun doing the reading. We will study the forms of the Victorian novel including the Bildungsroman, sensation fiction, adventure romance, detective fiction, boy's books, among others. Additionally, we will explore the role of the novel in recording and shaping the preoccupations of the age that include urbanization, industrialization, and an increasingly visible global capitalism. We will examine both the development of the 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 pay particular attention to the issue of national identity and the amorphous concept of "Englishness," exploring how these were constantly defined (and redefined) alongside and against issues of race, sexuality, nation, geography, class, gender, and empire. We will neither survey nor exhaust the novelistic production of this fecund century; we will simply try to read some fun works and speak with pleasure about them.

Note: Victorian novels tend to be delightful and LONG. Please be prepared to read up to 300 pages each week. The best way to keep track of these often ungainly novels is to mark them with your notes and observations. Bring your books to class so you can share your insights with others.

Course requirements include attendance and active participation in all classes, 2 papers, and a cumulative final exam.