Nineteenth-century England was characterized by paradoxes of every cultural and political shade: the rapid industrialization of the nation was encouraged yet feared for its impact on social relations; reform movements were met by intense distrust of bureaucratization; imperial expansion was seen as both a necessity and right as it also engendered insecurity; the proliferation of novels was heralded as both beneficial for a reading nation as well as detrimental in its ability to shape its readers, perhaps undesirably. Central to many of these concerns is the woman and question of her role in a swiftly modernizing world. The doctrine of separate spheres is a key paradox of the Victorian age: women were seen as instrumental to social stability, but only within a limited domestic space. Where earlier literature might portray women as heroines, it does so in the confines of love, marriage, and social order, and if a woman transgressed these boundaries, she could only be a madwoman, a monster, or fallen beyond the help of moral and social reform. This course will look at women in literature, women writing literature, and women as constituted by literature, in order to examine how the figure of the woman was being actively constructed as well as contested through literature.

We will begin with Austen to provide an example of a quintessential female heroine as commonly portrayed in much domestic fiction, paying attention to how Austen constructs the domestic domain of her women. From there we will move into Lady Audley’s Secret, which, written deep in the nineteenth century, seeks to question the neat constructions of a woman as domestic angel or madwoman, throwing those categories into flux as it does so. *Trilby* and *She* will provide fin-de-siécle interpretations on the woman question. We will end with a famous play dealing with shaping women into proper “ladies,” George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion. The course pack will include secondary criticism as well as poetry selections on the topic, including poetry from D.G. Rossetti, Christina Rossetti, Browning, and others.

Because the course is discussion-based, a good portion of your grade is based on class participation. Per W-course requirements, students will also write two short response papers (3-4 pages each), and one longer essay (5-7 pages), all with required revisions. The workload also includes a presentation, discussion-leading, Go Post responsibilities, quizzes, and a heavy reading schedule.

*Book List*:
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. 1813. (978-0141439518)
Braddon, Mary Elizabeth. Lady Audley’s Secret. 1862. (978-0140435849)
Haggard, H. Rider. She. 1887. (978-0192835505)
Du Maurier, George. Trilby. 1894. (978-1551115740)
Shaw, George Bernard. Pygmalion. 1913. (978-0486282220)
Course Pack, available at Ave Copy (4141 University Way)