Roman prose and satire. If we keep to schedule, we will finish with Augustine’s
Confessions
,
selections actually. So our conclusion will bring us from the ancient world to the rise of the
West, from the epic journey to the inward struggle to master the self, from the lyrics of Sappho
to the lamentations of the fallen. We will work quickly, but thoroughly and systematically. We
will define and refine key terms and ideas. We will develop themes and questions. We will work
toward some comprehensive thoughts about our literature and the cultures that come with it. Lots
of reading, but when it is this good, who doesn’t ask for more?
Now the basics: two papers, a midterm and a final, some shorter activities, and lots of dialogue in
class. The final will be comprehensive.
CATEGORY 1
EH 381, Victorian Literature and Culture (Cat. 1)
Ullrich, TTH 12:30-1:50
The Victorians have a terrible problem with PR. Often simplified as repressive, Victorian
England was a time of impressive cultural change. The Victorian era was the first era to call into
question institutional Christianity on a large scale. Many distinctively “modern” innovations and
cultural concepts made significant strides during this time period, including democracy,
feminism, unionization of workers, socialism, Marxism. This is the age of Darwin, Marx, and
early Freud, as well as Queen Victorian, the Oxford Movement, and Utilitarianism.
This course is designed as a survey of the major Victorian writers and the cultural events which
transformed the era. The course covers the time period from 1832-1900. Victorian literature
excels in three traditional literary genres: prose, poetry, and fiction. We will examine, in
particular, the dramatic monologue, the prose essay, and the novel, this last the pre-eminent
genre of the period.
The cultural context of the Victorian period—the era’s many transformations—is also an
important topic of investigation. Like all literary periods, the Victorian Era is rich, diverse, and
complicated. Thus, we will focus on the literature and culture of the era, not theoretical
criticism. As always, the primary goals of this course are to introduce the student to the
pleasures and rigors of reading, to develop the skills necessary to be able to appreciate
sophisticated works of literature, to ask the reader to become engaged the text, and to participate
in the class by voicing thoughtful, informed opinions.
Requirements include regular attendance and class participation, individual assigned worksheets
on the specific texts, midterm, research paper, and in-class presentation.