An introduction to the Victorian Novel

The Victorian Novel did not always resemble the iconic black and orange Penguin Classic in use in classrooms and lecture theatres today. This course offers an introduction to the Victorian novel through some if its most famous writers, mapping its development from the rise of serial fiction to the demise of the three-decker. Each week, we will look at a different author and genre: from Dickens and the progress novel in the 1830s, to Gissing and New Woman fiction in the 1890s. Drawing on a variety of secondary sources, we will not only consider how Victorian novels have been categorised, but how these categories are often problematic and elusive. As well as focussing on the core novels, this course will encourage you to put them in context through discussions of a range of other Victorian print media, including newspapers, periodicals, penny fiction, reviews, images and artefacts.

To watch a taster of the course, click here.

Tutor: Katie Holdway

Course dates: Tuesday 12 October – Tuesday 16 November 2021

Time: 18:00 - 20:00