Overview

This module explores contemporary texts and films belonging to the increasingly popular genre of neo-Victorianism. It considers how writers and film makers engage with, adapt, and revise Victorian narrative conventions (such as the marriage plot, domestic realism, and omniscient narration), aesthetic modes (such as the Gothic, romance, or epistolary narrative), and cultural tropes (such as the ‘fallen woman’ or the haunted house) and examines how, in so doing, they interrogate and transform established understandings of nineteenth-century history and culture. The module pays particular attention to reinterpretations of Victorian concerns about gender roles and sexual relationships, industrialisation and economic exploitation, innovation and progress, colonialism and empire, and the relationship between private desires and public morality. However, it also examines how neo-Victorian literature and film can retrieve and bring into focus those aspects of the nineteenth-century past that remain buried underneath the surface of Victorian literature, i.e. female sexuality, queer desire and relationships, the voices and experiences of 'colonised subjects', and moral transgressions and criminality. The module will interrogate both how neo-Victorian texts and films can enhance our understanding of the Victorian past and why the Victorian past continues to matter. Texts and films studies will vary from year to year, but will typically include works by John Fowles, Jean Rhys, Christopher Nolan, Sarah Waters, and Sarah Perry. Please note that, given the nature of the subject, students will be expected to read a number of long novels and are advised to plan their reading well in advance. While the module focuses on neo-Victorianism and is open to students who have not previously studied Victorian Literature, students are encouraged to read Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre in preparation.

This module covers contemporary texts and films belonging to the increasingly popular genre of neo-Victorianism. It considers how writers and film makers engage with, adapt, and revise Victorian narrative conventions (such as the marriage plot, domestic realism, and omniscient narration), aesthetic modes (such as the Gothic, romance, or epistolary narrative), and cultural tropes (such as the ‘fallen woman’ or the haunted house) and examines how, in so doing, they interrogate and transform established understandings of nineteenth-century history and culture. The module pays particular attention to reinterpretations of Victorian concerns about gender roles and sexual relationships, industrialisation and economic exploitation, innovation and progress, colonialism and empire, and the relationship between private desires and public morality. However, it also examines how neo-Victorian literature and film can retrieve and bring into focus those aspects of the nineteenth-century past that remain buried underneath the surface of Victorian literature, i.e. female sexuality, queer desire and relationships, the voices and experiences of 'colonised subjects', and moral transgressions and criminality. The module will interrogate both how neo-Victorian texts and films can enhance our understanding of the Victorian past and why the Victorian past continues to matter. Texts and films studies will vary from year to year, but will typically include works by John Fowles, Jean Rhys, Christopher Nolan, Guillermo del Toro, Sarah Waters, and Sarah Perry. Please note that, given the nature of the subject, students will be expected to read a number of long novels and are advised to plan their reading well in advance. While the module focuses on neo-Victorianism, students are advised to read Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre in preparation.

Assessment Strategy

Students will complete a mid-term assessment in which they demonstrate their understanding of the concept of Neo-Victorianism. They will have the choice between doing so through their own Neo-Victorian response, accompanied by a critical reflection, or through a review of the critical literature on Neo-Victorianism.

Below are the assessment criteria for assessment in English Literature/Creative Writing:

Threshold -Typically, work graded D- to D+ (or 40 to 49) will show many of the following qualities: • Unsure and lacking in confidence when discussing ideas • Referring to the subject in question in a superficial manner • Making an effort to provide fairly balanced answers • Some points in the argument irrelevant to the topic • Little evidence of background reading • Some uncertainty over language and syntax

-good -Typically, work graded B- to B+ (or 60 to 69) will show many of the following qualities: • Discusses ideas adeptly • Most of the arguments about a specific field are well-aired • Displays knowledge of the subject in question; the answer is relevant • Shows analytical and clear thought • Gives evidence of relevant reading • Shows accuracy in expression with mastery over language. • A few minor errors here and there. • Signs of creative thought deserve a higher position within the class • In creative work: shows signs of originality, having understood the requirements of the medium • Plans of well-balanced and full answers, despite some gaps

-excellent -Typically, work graded A- to A** (or 70 to 100) will show many of the following qualities: • Discusses ideas with confidence and precision • Demonstrates maturity and sophistication • Displays deep knowledge of the subject in question; the answer is totally relevant • Shows independent, analytical and clear thought • Gives evidence of substantial and relevant reading • Shows great accuracy in expression, displaying total mastery over all aspects of the language • Shows occasional signs of brilliance and originality of thought • In creative work: displays considerable originality • Command over medium; may have potential for publication/production

-another level-C- to C+Typically, work graded C- to C+ (or 50 to 59) will show many of the following qualities: • Discusses ideas, but without much confidence • A respectable effort but not showing any unusual talent; a few flashes of originality here and there • Makes reference to the subject in question, but some important matters not mentioned • Fairly clear thought on most occasions, and the arguments relevant on the whole • Evidence of having read some works associated with the field in question • Quite accurate expression, though the points may sometimes be presented clumsily • Signs of conscientious work deserve a higher position within the class • In creative work: not having quite mastered the requirements of the medium • Evidence of planning in the answers, but a lack of coherence at times; undisciplined and unsure at times

Learning Outcomes

• To analyse the thematic concerns, aesthetic strategies, and narrative techniques of a range of Neo-Victorian novels and films and present the results of such analysis in both written and oral form.

• To critically assess the relationship between literary representation and historic sources.

• To define Neo-Victorianism and demonstrate a critical understanding of the genre’s significance in contemporary culture

• To evaluate how contemporary literature and film engage with and respond to the nineteenth-century past, drawing on relevant historic knowledge.

• To select, digest and organise material and produce a consistent and coherent argument, presented in written or oral form, to a deadline.

• To understand, evaluate, and implement a range of critical and theoretical approaches to Neo-Victorian Literature.