OVERVIEW

This is a second-year course taught in the first and second semesters. It introduces to aspects of nineteenth-century literature from Romanticism to the mid- and late-Victorian periods. Language: English. Credits: 9. This course is also available as a 6-credit option (with a reduced syllabus).

Fraz. B: for students with surnames from L to Z.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

BA courses aim to provide students with a basic knowledge of British literature and culture from the Renaissance to the present age with special emphasis on the development of modern fiction, post-colonial studies, twentieth-century modernism and post-modernism.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students who attend this course regularly and study the prescribed materials will acquire a good knowledge of some aspects of nineteenth-century fiction, theatre and poetry. They will be able to analyse some literary texts, describe their main formal and thematic features and connect them to specific historical and cultural contexts.

PREREQUISITES

An acquaintance with literary periodization as customarily deployed in the study of European literatures; ability to understand English, both oral and written.

TEACHING METHODS

Lectures in English and workshops (e.g. close readings; seminar discussions of poetic works, teamwork on online academic podcasts and lectures).

Attendance is heartily recommended. 

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

This course provides an introduction to nineteenth century literature through a historical and cultural survey of the Romantic, the mid-Victorian and the late Victorian periods. Its main focus is on fiction and its transformations.

For students who choose this course as a 6-credit option (second semester) the syllabus does not include the Romantic period.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Students will read the following works in any unabridged edition of their choice:​

The Romantic period

• a selection of poems which will be provided at the beginning of the first semester;
• Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (any edition based on the 1818 text).

The Victorian Age​

• Two novels chosen among:
  • Elizabeth Gaskell, North and South;
  • Charles Dickens, Great Expectations;
  • Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D'Urbervilles.
• Arthur Symons, ‘The Decadent Movement in Literature’.

Poems, essays, contextual and critical texts will be posted on aulaweb. Additional information will also be posted including details for the students unable to attend on a regular basis.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

October 2025

Class schedule

ENGLISH LITERATURE AND CULTURE II B

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

This course is assessed by written examination on the contents of the course and the reading list, including anthological selections, criticism and other materials provided during the lectures. Language of examination: Italian or English (students are free to choose either). 

The total test-time is 4 hrs; 2:30 hrs for the 6-credit option.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The exam paper involves open questions and guided commentaries of literary texts (poems or extracts of novels). The open questions test knowledge and comprehension; the guided commentaries test the student's ability to recognise and describe the main formal features of specific works, and connect them to contextual historical and cultural information. The student's comprehension of, and ability to respond to, critical essays included in the reading list will also be assessed.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Attendance is heartily recommended. Students who are unable to attend, will be provided with relevant information at the beginning of the course. Course enrolment via aulaweb is mandatory. Examination enrolment is through the Ateneo website. The course is valid till July 2025.

Students who have valid certification of physical or learning disabilities on file with the University and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances regarding lectures, coursework and exams, should speak both with the instructor and with Prof. Sara Dickinson (sara.dickinson@unige.it), the Department’s disability liaison.