230584 The Victorians – Studying a Culture of Contradictions (S) (WiSe 2010/2011)

From the recent Hollywood movie "The Young Victoria" (2009), to furniture in Victorianesque design, the countless adaptations of Victorian literary texts or the study of the history of the working class, one thing is clear: the Victorians are everywhere!
When investigating British culture and literature, historical or contemporary, we cannot avoid talking about the era of Queen Victoria and the tremendous impact it had on virtually every aspect of life in the British Empire. This block seminar will serve as an introduction to what is one of the most complex, multi-faceted and contradictory epochs of British history. Approaching Victorianism from the angle of historical, cultural and literary studies, we will investigate some of the most important aspects and issues connected with this period as well as its representation in contemporary culture (particularly film).

Bibliography

Since the program of the block seminar will be tightly packed, a large amount of the reading has to be done prior to the first session (4 October 2010). This includes

- excerpts from
o The Northon Anthology of English Literature (2006)
o Asa Briggs’s "A Social History of England" (1994)
o Maureen Moran’s "Victorian Literature & Culture" (2006)
o Jeremy Black’s "Nineteenth-Century Britain" (2003)
o Tom Standage's "The Victorian Internet" (2007)

As well as
- Elizabeth Gaskell’s novel "North and South" (1854/55)
- Charles Dickens’s short story “The Signalman” (1866)
- Rudyard Kipling's short story "The Man Who Would Be King" (1888)
- H. G. Wells’s novella "The Time Machine" (1895)

Those texts have to be read during the term break, before the beginning of the seminar. Students who have not read all texts will be asked to leave. A short quiz with basic questions on the assigned reading has to be expected.
All texts are available via Stud.IP, with the exception of Gaskell’s North and South and H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine. Please try to obtain both literary texts in good time, since you might have to order them (shipping sometimes takes longer than expected).

If you have any questions concerning the block seminar, please feel free to contact me via email.