ENGL 62.01 British Fictions of Revolution

The year 1848 was, for most of Western Europe, a year of revolution. In England, one of the few countries to escape widespread violence, 1848 was a year of rampant publication. The texts published in the UK, ranging from Marx and Engels’ The Communist Manifesto to Gothic novels and Pre-Raphaelite poems, do not always seem obviously radical or even similar to one another in theme and mood. Are these texts in fact revolutionary? Are any of the texts politically or socially conservative, or do they represent conservative characters or perspectives? Do they take revolutionary forms or structures? To what extent are the texts participating in the same public sphere and historical moment? In responding to these questions, this colloquium will read literary texts (by Gaskell, Dickens, Emily Bronte, Christina Rossetti, Browning, and Tennyson) alongside artistic and political manifestos, popular political poetry, visual images, scientific and critical prose, and contemporary literary criticism (feminist, Marxist, psychoanalytic, poststructuralist). Students will work toward a substantial research project (12-15 pages) focused on a topic related to the course and of their choosing.

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:LIT; WCult:W

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Department-Specific Course Categories

Junior Colloquium: Course Group II