ENGL 281

Fall 2016 Part of Term 1

Part of Term 1
Aug 22-Dec 7

Women in the Lit Imagination

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Credit: 3 hours.

Study of the way various writers, both male and female, have portrayed woman's image, social role, and psychologies in British, American, or Anglophone literature.

Same as GWS 281. May be repeated with permission of English advising office to a maximum of 6 hours if topics vary. Prerequisite: Completion of the Composition I requirement.

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ENGL 281 class schedule data for fall 2016
	CRN	Type	Section	Time	Day	Location	Instructor	Section Details
	43070	Lecture-Discussion	S	2:00PM -3:15PM	TR	English Building	Baron, I	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/22/16-12/07/16 Section Title: British Feminist Fiction Section Info: Topic Section S: British Feminist Fiction In 1813, Jane Austen published Pride and Prejudice, the story of a young woman who refuses to be forced into marrying the wrong man despite the prospect of future penury. But for much of British history, women of all classes were expected to maintain the social hierarchy through marriage and to fulfill their personal destiny through motherhood no matter how they felt about their sexual orientation, their husbands, their job prospects or married life. In this course, we’ll explore the evolution of women’s marital choices, their sexual practices and their economic rights in the UK over a two hundred year period, viewing the changes that came along the way. We’ll begin during the Regency period by probing into the nuances of 18th century marriages, zeroing in on how women regarded courtship and how the new mercantile class began to restructure rules about marriage and property in England. Then we’ll see why in spite of their many accomplishments and a female figurehead to lead the nation, Victorian women were barred from owning property, barred from voting, and forced into submissive marriages that could leave them vulnerable and depressed. Next, we’ll turn to the rise of women’s suffrage in the late Victorian period and determine whether this radical political movement truly empowered British women in their homes and in the workplace. As we move through the 20th century, we’ll explore the pre and post WWI and WWII periods to see how women fared in the UK after war had permanently altered gender paradigms. We’ll examine how postwar Britain normalized the concept of working women in trousers while at the same time restoring the use of confining undergarments as well as introducing modern make-up lines. We’ll end the semester on a lighter note with the popular adaptation of Elizabeth and Darcy’s courtship, Pride, Prejudice and Zombies, and view how postfeminist views of women as sexually aware, self-sufficient and buff have reshaped this classic novel. Course requirements include an oral report, three short papers and a final project or exam. Texts and films may include: Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice; Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, Thomas Hardy, Far From the Madding Crowd, Suffragette, Oswald Wynd, The Ginger Tree, Downton Abbey, Jean Rhys, After Leaving Mr. McKenzie, Barbara Pym, Excellent Women and Seth-Grahame Smith, Pride, Prejudice and Zombies.