230112 Gender in Victorian Literature (S) (WiSe 2021/2022)

The first few sessions of this seminar will be held synchronically via zoom. Given that the situation allows, in-person meetings will start in November. There will be NO hybrid teaching. Depending on the development of the pandemic, this class may be entirely held in synchronic zoom sessions.

The Victorian period is regularly associated with concerns of gender and sexuality. Popularly believed to be sexually repressed, traditionalist and prude, the Victorian era was actually marked by complex and controversial dicourses on gender. Examining some of the most relevant fictional texts from that period, this seminar will trace the manifold ways in which the Victorians concerned themselves with issues such as marriage, homosexuality, suffrage, disease and decadence. Ultimately we will develop a deeper understanding of Victorian notions of morality, society, domestic and public life. Amongst others the reading list will include texts by Charlotte Bronte, Christina Rosetti, Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde.

Bibliography

Students are required to purchase copies of the following texts (preferably in Penguin or Norton Critical Editions):
Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre
Oscar Wilde: The Importance of Being Earnest
Other reading materials will be made available via Lernraum.