Universität Wien

127010 KO Critical Readings in Literature (2019S)

Victorian Writers and the Environment

6.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 12 - Anglistik
Continuous assessment of course work

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 30 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Tuesday 19.03. 10:00 - 12:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Tuesday 26.03. 10:00 - 12:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Tuesday 02.04. 10:00 - 12:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Tuesday 09.04. 10:00 - 12:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Tuesday 30.04. 10:00 - 12:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Tuesday 07.05. 10:00 - 12:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Tuesday 14.05. 10:00 - 12:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Tuesday 21.05. 10:00 - 12:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Tuesday 28.05. 10:00 - 12:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Tuesday 04.06. 10:00 - 12:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Tuesday 18.06. 10:00 - 12:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Tuesday 25.06. 10:00 - 12:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

In this course, we will examine various portrayals of nature, ecology, and the environment in Victorian literature. Focusing on the novels and poems of some of the most prominent Victorian writers, including Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Elizabeth Gaskell, H. Rider Haggard, and Thomas Hardy, as well as on film adaptations of Emily Brontё’s Wuthering Heights and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, we will explore the issues of dark nature, fog/smoke/smog, pollution, fossil fuels, and ecological decline, as they were represented in the nineteenth century. Analyzing the Industrial Revolution, we will inevitably touch upon such issues as class and gender, and examine them from an ecocritical perspective, too. Finally, we will explore the potential of Victorian writings to contribute to the current climate change debates.

Assessment and permitted materials

Requirements:
Attendance and active participation in course discussions (a maximum of two absences will be allowed); oral presentation; 2 tests; 1 written assignment.

Presentation:
A presentation should last 30 minutes. When preparing a presentation, students should use the text assigned for the session but are also encouraged to find other materials to prepare a more detailed analysis of the chosen novel/poems. The presentation should end with 1-2 questions for a general discussion. Students are welcome to discuss their ideas concerning the presentation (the topic, bibliography, etc.) with the instructor.

Tests:
To make sure that students come prepared, in the course of the semester, they will have to take 2 tests. Both will focus on the novels’ plots and articles assigned for each session.

Written Assignment:
Students will be given 3 topics to choose from and will have to submit their essays (max. 1,500 words) in the last session.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

• Active participation in class discussions: 30%
• Oral Presentation: 20%
• Tests: 30%
• Essay: 20%

To pass the course, students must attain at least 60%

Grades in %:
• 1: 90-100%
• 2: 80-89%
• 3: 70-79%
• 4: 60-69%
• 5: 0-59%

Examination topics

There will be no written exam at the end of the course.

Reading list

Students need to purchase the following novels (and preferably start reading them before the beginning of the semester):

• Charles Dickens’ Hard Times (1854)
• Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South (1855)
• H. Rider Haggard’s King Solomon’s Mines (1885)
• Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Sign of the Four (1890)

Other texts (films and secondary source materials) will be made available via Moodle or provided in class.

Association in the course directory

Studium: BA 612; BEd 046/407
Code/Modul: BA08.3; BEd Modul 10
Lehrinhalt: 12-3000

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:33