ENGL 43378 - Seminar: Identifying with Characters in Nineteenth-Century Fiction

Institution:

University of Notre Dame

Subject:

English

Description:

Readers of the novel report taking pleasure in identifying with characters, assuming their points of view, and feeling their emotions along with them. This course is designed to explore the strange process through which readers come to feel they share traits with entirely imaginary beings. We will base our investigation on both the philosophy of identification (David Hume and Adam Smith), the psychology of identification (Sigmund Freud), novels featuring beloved literary characters (Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre", and Charles Dickens's "Great Expectations") and novels that respond to or even recapitulate those same characters (Bharati Mukherjee's "Jasmine" and Lloyd Jones's "Mister Pip"). Through a series of short response papers, students will form a research question touching on this topic which they will then develop into a seminar-length paper through research, rough drafts and revision.

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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