ENGL 20316 - Jane Austen, Writer and Reader

Institution:

University of Notre Dame

Subject:

English

Description:

Jane Austen's hugely popular novels are even more rewarding when read together with the eighteenth-century literature that shaped her art. We will study in depth four of Austen's novels in relation to novels, essays, poems, and plays that influenced her. These works will enrich our examination of Austen's engagement with some of the intellectual, ethical, and social questions that vexed eighteenth-century Britain: the difficulties of coming of age in the modern world, the proper roles of men and women, the promise and perils of romantic relationships and marriage, and the significance of class divisions. Finally, we will consider the eighteenth-century ideas about literature that informed Austen's novels as well as Austen's innovative and influential narrative technique. Students will give a group presentation on a film adaptation of one of Austen's novels in order to explore the continuing relevance of her work and the interplay between medium and meaning.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.nd.edu

Phone Number:

(574) 631-5000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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