Beschreibung:The nineteenth century represents a time which introduced unprecedented fast-pacing changes all over the world; specifically in America, marked by the recent Revolution and the Civil War, social and cultural contexts had to adapt faster than ever before. Central in this period is therefore the issue of coming to terms with one’s own self as well as the social structure one lives in. The Victorians faced a struggle between “naturalness” and “artificiality”, between the acting out of the “sincere ideal” and the “performance of social roles”.
In this Seminar we will be exploring 19th century society and literature. We will look at the role that literature plays in this context, how it reflects and negotiates historical and cultural changes, and at the same time influences them. For this purpose, we will look at both theories of literature construction and literary genre, which we will apply and discuss in depth through the analysis of contemporary literature.
We will be discussing the following primary texts intensively in our course:
Stoddard, Elizabeth. The Morgesons. 1862, edited by Lawrence Buell and Sandra A. Zagarell, Penguin Books, 1997.
James, Henry. The Europeans. 1878, edited by Andrew Taylor, Penguin Classics, 2008.
Essential Course Requirements
1. Regular attendance and active participation in class discussion
2. Critical engagement with both the primary and secondary readings
3. Participation in one Expert group session (requirement for the Studiennachweis and Prüfungsleistung)
4. Please aim to have read the novels before the start of class.
If you need a Prüfungsnachweis you will have to write a research paper. Please be aware that you will need to hand in your paper by August 31st, 2024!
Please note that this course is NOT available under the ANG-I module.
Prerequisites for participation: ANG-B1/ANG-B-LK module
