VIC7063 - Victorian Literature: Texts and Contexts

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Demonstrate advanced knowledge and critical understanding of the work of a selected author or defined group of authors
Use a range of high-level critical and theoretical approaches and scholarly resources to analyse the selected texts
Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the literary works chosen for study, including critical awareness of influences from, and impacts on, the Victorian world
Report research findings clearly and with accurate reference to relevant evidence.

Content:

This module will engage students in gaining a deeper critical appreciation of Victorian literature by exploring the works of a particular author or group of authors. Students will hone their skills in critical analysis and close textual reading, and will also learn to place selected works within the social, cultural and literary contexts of the Victorian age. The module will pay particular attention to the local and wider social conditions in which the authors worked, and the impact of those conditions on their writing. It will also consider how particular social, political or intellectual preoccupations of the Victorian age were reflected in their writing. The authors on offer will draw on staff expertise and may include, for example: The Brontes, Oscar Wilde, Robert Browning or John Ruskin. The choice of authors each year will depend on staff availablity and also take student opinion into consideration wherever possible. Students will then develop their own interests by researching a topic of their own choice for the assignment for this module.

Learning and Teaching Information:

The seminars will make use of a number of teaching and learning methods, including: short presentations by the tutor, exercises in groups, informal presentations by students, and plenary discussions. Students will be set reading to complete before the session and they will be expected to bring their own reflections to bear on the exercises and discussion. The 20-minute individual tutorial may take different forms as appropriate to the individual student (e.g. face-to-face discussion, e-mail consultations). These tutorials are intended to give students some guidance on their choice of essay question and on researching the topic.

Seminars/Workshops
Hours: 6 x 2 hours
Intended Group size: 12

Tutorials
Hours: 30 minutes per student
Intended Group size: 1

Guided independent study
Hours: 287.5

Assessment:

001 Essay; 6000 words; end of semester 2 100%

Fact File

Module Coordinator - Professor Jane De Gay
Level - 7
Credit Value - 30
Pre-Requisites - CANNOT BE TAKEN WITH VIC7025
Semester(s) Offered - 7PGYL

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