VICM2655 - The Victorians and Shakespeare (Extended)

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

1 demonstrate critical awareness of Victorian interpretations of Shakespeare across a range of different cultural contexts (e.g. the theatre, education, literature, publishing and editing, biography, painting);
2 demonstrate high-level knowledge and critical understanding of the interpretation of Shakespeare in at least one of these contexts;
3 research and present a high-level case-study of the significance for the Victorians of a particular Shakespeare text or related topic, and critically evaluate its significance for the Victorian period;
4 demonstrate critical awareness of Victorian interpretations of Shakespeare across a range of different cultural contexts (e.g. the theatre, education, literature, publishing and editing, biography, painting);
5 demonstrate self-direction and originality in a sophisticated extended argument that uses a suitably wide range of evidence/illustrations for a 6,000-word essay, and also engages with contextual and critical literature.

Content:

The first session will provide an introduction to the module and an overview of the different contexts for the study of the Victorians and Shakespeare. Some short poems or passages from literary texts (eg Arnold’s ‘Shakespeare’, Tennyson’s ‘To W. C. Macready’, the ‘Coriolanus’ chapter in Charlotte Bronte’s Shirley) will be analysed and discussed.
Each of the next four sessions will be given over to analysis and discussion of a particular context for study of the Victorians and Shakespeare. For example:
Session 2: Shakespeare in literary texts (eg Dickens, Wilde)
Session 3: Shakespeare in the theatre
Session 4: Shakespeare and scenes from Shakespeare in painting
Session 5: Victorian Shakespeare scholarship: biography, editing, controversy

As part of preparation for assessment, the final session will include a case study of the stage history of The Life and Death of King John during the Victorian period.

Learning and Teaching Information:

Students taking this module will already have taken seminars for VICM 2255. Once they have upgraded to VICM 2655, they will be allowed an additional 45 minutes of individual tutorial time. This time may be used in a combination of different ways (e.g. face-to-face discussion, e-mail consultations) as appropriate to the individual student. Students will be required to submit a proposal to register for the module, and encouraged to submit drafts for feedback before final submission.

Individual tutorial
Contact hours: 45 minutes per student
Intended Group size: 1

Assessment: