19th-Century British Literature

Catalog description

In 1815 in the wake of the battle of Waterloo, Great Britain controlled a staggering quarter of the world's landmass and half of its gross national product. This course will begin with the Napoleonic Wars and this Regency aftermath to survey a century of British literature -- from Romanticism through the revolutions of 1848 and the Victorian and Edwardian periods to the beginning of the first World War. Most versions of this course will read both novels and poetry, often focusing on the relation between the two and their function within nineteenth century culture. Others may incorporate drama and non-fiction prose. See the English Department's website at www.english.upenn.edu for a description of the current offerings.