ENGL 208

Fall 2026 Part of Term 1

Part of Term 1
Aug 24-Dec 9

Victorian Literature and Culture

Credit: 3 hours.

While Queen Victoria was on the throne (1837-1901), Britain became a world power, but often looked backwards to the lovely worlds of the past. Many of the era’s great literary works reflect this tension between realism and romance: between the realism of being a poor governess and the romance of finding true love in Jane Eyre; the tragedy of losing your best friend and the hope of emotional survival in In Memoriam; the practical work of building a useful device and the fantasy of visiting the dystopian future in The Time Machine. Literature studied in this class will include poetry, prose, drama, and fiction, possibly including works by Charlotte Brontë, Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Seacole, Thomas Carlyle, Alfred Tennyson, Robert Browning, Christina Rossetti, William Morris, Oscar Wilde, H.G. Wells, Olive Schreiner, or George Bernard Shaw.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Composition I requirement.

This course satisfies the General Education Criteria in Fall 2022 for:

Humanities – Lit & Arts

Cultural Studies - Western

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ENGL 208 class schedule data for fall 2026
	Status		CRN	Type	Section	Time	Day	Location	Instructor	Section Details
			30155	Lecture-Discussion	P	11:00AM -12:15PM	TR	Lincoln Hall	Courtemanche, E	Availability: Closed Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/24/26-12/09/26 Degree Notes: Humanities - Lit & Arts, and Cultural Studies - Western course. Section Info: FA26 ENGL 208 - Victorian Literature and Culture - Eleanor Courtemanche - The Victorian age in Britain (1837-1901) resembles our globalized era in many ways. Like ours, the Victorian age was shaped by a sense of rapid, exhilarating technological progress; a global empire that led to cosmopolitan engagement with other cultures as well as constant military conflict; a hope that free markets were the key to progress; vigorous debate about the role of religion; and women’s ongoing struggle to find a balance between family duties and personal visions. Victorian literature—torn between realism and romance—is an attempt to make sense of all this by balancing material concerns with spiritual needs and the search for beauty. Readings in this interdisciplinary class will include Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre,” the nostalgic poetry of the Pre-Raphaelites Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Christina Rossetti, Alfred Tennyson’s tragic elegy “In Memoriam,” Olive Schreiner’s novel “The Story of an African Farm,” Oscar Wilde’s play “The Importance of Being Earnest,” political essays by John Stuart Mill and Thomas Carlyle, discussions of Victorian religion and science, and the Crimean War memoir of the Jamaican nurse Mary Seacole. The course will require two short papers, a midterm and final written by hand in person, weekly written assignments, and active class participation. Prerequisite: Completion of the Composition I requirement.