Estb. 1882

University of the Punjab

Victorian Novel




















































































Code: 305

Title: Victorian Novel

Rating: 3 Credit hours

Type: Compulsory
Pre-requisites:

The students are expected to be proficient in spoken and written English. Correct usage of language is mandatory.
Introduction:

The nineteenth century witnessed extraordinary social and cultural change in Britain, from the rise of industrial capitalism to the emancipation of women, from the decline of Christian belief to the growth of Empire, from urbanization to the emergence of mass literacy. This course will introduce students to some significant texts and literary movements of the period, in the wider context of social transformation and emerging literary practices. Issues to be considered will include the establishment of the novel as the dominant literary genre, the ways in which social values are encoded and contested in literary texts, and the relationship of traditional and experimental practices in poetic forms. The course aims to develop students' analytic and critical skills through an engagement with a range of issues and methodologies in literary studies.

Objectives:

The aims of this module are:
To provide students with an overview and a critical understanding of Victorian Fiction.
Students will acquaint themselves with the distinctive characteristics of Victorian Fiction and obtain an insight into the social, political, cultural, and philosophical developments of this period.
To acquaint students with the narrative techniques, structural and stylistic features, and thematic concerns as manifested in three classic novels by Charles Dickens, George Eliot, and Thomas Hardy.
To encapsulate flavors of realism in relation to fiction.
Contents:

• George Eliot: Adam Bede

• Charles Dickens: A tale of Two Cities

• Thomas Hardy: The Return of the Native
Assessment:

Mid-term: 35%

End-term: 40%

Assignment/Presentation: 25%
Outcome:

Students will:
Understand and interpret key Victorian texts.
Explain key aspects of Victorian novel.
Read and interpret literary criticism and apply it within an academic argument.
Locate and access appropriate primary and secondary sources.
Evaluate critical arguments about Victorian realism and incorporate into their own arguments.
Write logical and coherent arguments based on evidence, and engage in critical debate.
Work with others in the exploration of ideas and the negotiation of solutions to problems.
Use technologies relevant to the University learning environment.
Interpret literature through the lens of their own experience and through the lenses of various schools of literary criticism ; and
Demonstrate an understanding of the relevance of literature of the period to the broader history of British literature and to contemporary culture.
Credit hours/ Marks:- 03

Reference Books

Download Course-Outline