ENGL 72.13 The Brontës

Who were the Brontës and why have their novels remained so popular? What do their texts tell us about Victorian discourses on childhood, gender, space and psycho-geographies, class discontent, empire and globalization, labor and industry, religion, creativity, and language? What do we gain or lose by studying their biographies: tales of four siblings living in isolation on the Yorkshire moors, publishing pseudonymously, and dying young? In this course, we will look closely at the literary production of the Brontës, beginning with the fantastical tales and poetry they wrote as young adults. Topics will include female labor, evangelicalism, the Victorian Gothic, marriage and women’s legal rights, storytelling and myth, colonialism, feminized and racialized madness, and the physical and psychological contours of domestic and foreign space.

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:LIT; WCult:W

The Timetable of Class Meetings contains the most up-to-date information about a course. It includes not only the meeting time and instructor, but also its official distributive and/or world culture designation. This information supersedes any information you may see elsewhere, to include what may appear in this ORC/Catalog or on a department/program website. Note that course attributes may change term to term therefore those in effect are those (only) during the term in which you enroll in the course.

Department-Specific Course Categories

Senior Seminar: Course Group II