ENGL 336(F) Femme Fatales and New Women

This course explores two bold fictional modes that developed in nineteenth-century England: Sensation novels of the 1860s, and New Woman fiction of the 1880s and 1890s. Both were notorious for portraying strong-minded, independent heroines, who flouted Victorian ideals of womanhood by claiming sexual and/or intellectual agency. The issues to be explored include the representation in fiction of female sexuality, women's mental powers, and male homosocial bonds; the deployment of social and literary conventions; the use of innovative narrative techniques; and the cultural fears, frustrations, and desires to which a transgressive subject matter gave expression. The readings include primary historical sources (conduct manuals, medical treatises, periodical essays), recent critical essays, and the following fictional texts: Mary E. Braddon's Lady Audley's Secret, Wilkie Collins's Armadale, Olive Schreiner's Story of an African Farm, Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and selected short fiction by fine-de-s#ecle women writers. Requirements: periodic writing exercises, one short paper, two seminar presentations, and a 12-15 page term paper. Major Seminar. Open only to English majors and to qualified non-majors (with preference among non-majors given to concentrators in Women's Studies). Permission of English Department chair required; see information above. Enrollment limited to 15. (1800-1900 or Criticism)

Hour:  S. GRAVER