Romantic Novels

By definition, Romantic Novels incorporate elements of both realism and romance, combining the Victorian ideal of the didactic reproduction of social reality with the fantastic or supernatural as inherited from medieval literature. The most famous example of this mode is the briefly flourishing Gothic novel, which, during its brief flourishing time, set the wildly horrific events of romance in the supposedly real world and at the same time banished them to safely remote, exotic locations (or even revealed them as mistaken forms of rationally understandable events, as Ann Radcliffe's novels famously did). However, not all writers, especially female ones, were satisfied with these limitations, and experimented with them in various ways, commenting on society and challenging its demands in the process. This course will focus on three prime specimen from the Romantic and early Victorian age, whose authors, or more correctly authoresses, pep up their realist settings with carefully constructed gothic elements. These novels have achieved not only canonicity but also lasting popularity: thus our first novel will be the enjoyable first work of Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey, before we move on to Mary Shelley's well-known 'gothic horror' tale of the ambitious Frankenstein, and finish the course with Emily Bronte's dark and challenging tale of human passions, Wuthering Heights. This we shall consider in conjunction with the 1998 adaptation of the book, which will serve as gateway to the complex world of the Heights (and also provide a pleasant pre-Christmas session!). It is the aim of this course to combine close-reading and analysis of the texts with discussion of the wider themes that can be detected in them. As time allows we should address, for example, the issue of gender, the role of nature and knowledge as they are filtered through the concept of love, and of course the purpose of narrative modes and authorial power. When you purchase the texts, it is vital that you get hold of the right edition! Frankenstein, the earlier 1818 text, Wuthering Heights, the 1874 text, Northanger Abbey, the 1818 text. Especially in the case of Wuthering Heights try to purchase the Norton Critical Edition, since it has collated the original text with a number of modern versions. In general, I would strongly advise you to invest in the somewhat costlier Norton Edition of each text: This will not only make in-class reference easier, but these editions also provide an authoritative text and extremely useful annotations and explanations for the modern reader. Anglistik - Literatur- und Kulturwissenschaft 3 LP Studienleistung New BA or 2 KP Old BA: reading the novels, active participation in class activities & one major contribution - EITHER an informal stub 'presentation' of 3 min maximum OR a 1 page assessment of a critical essay OR creation of a well-made digest sheet for one of the novels or creation of a list of essay titles for a mock -Companion to xy- (8 titles with at least one accompanied by a well thought-out thesis). OR another form of contribution altogether - talk to me about your suggestions. 3 LP Prüfungsleistung New BA or 7 KP Old BA: in addition to the requirements for the Studienleistung, a term paper (3500-4500 words) 5 LP: in addition to the requirements for 2 KP or Studienleistung, an essay on an aspect of one of the novels that interests you (3 pages, at least 2 critical sources) Universität Siegen WiSe 2013/14 M.A. Budde Larissa M.A