ENGL 455

Fall 2026 Part of Term 1

Part of Term 1
Aug 24-Dec 9

Major Authors

Credit: 3 OR 4 hours.

Intensive study of the work of one or two major authors.

3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated with permission of English advising office to a maximum of 6 undergraduate hours if topics vary. May be repeated for graduate credit if topics vary. Prerequisite: One year of college literature or consent of instructor.

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ENGL 455 class schedule data for fall 2026
CRN	Type	Section	Time	Day	Location	Instructor	Section Details
40444	Online	1G	10:00AM -10:50AM	MWF	n.a.	Nazar, H	Availability: Closed Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/24/26-12/09/26 Credit: 4 hours Section Info: FA26 ENGL 455 - Major Authors - Hina Nazar - Jane Austen and Feminist Politics - The politics—and, especially, the gender politics—of Jane Austen’s fiction continues to be hotly debated by her readers. For some, Austen is best described as a quintessentially conservative novelist, who was seemingly untouched by the revolutionary changes taking place in Europe during her lifetime; her fiction identifies her as a defender of tradition, propriety, and restrictive gender norms rather than women’s agency. For others, Austen was a woman ahead of her times, whose commitment to gender equality is implicit in her novels’ call to women to cultivate good judgment and seek “rational happiness,” and in her consistently satirical depictions of patriarchs and other male pillars of society. Outside of academia, we see a similar division of opinion about Austen’s fiction’s politics, with her work celebrated on Alt-Right websites, on the one hand, and lovingly invoked, on the other hand, by the ever-growing ranks of “Janeites”—predominantly young women who tend to view themselves as liberal in their gender politics. This course invites you to enter these debates and equips you with the tools to do so. It situates five (Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Persuasion) of Austen’s six major novels (as well as some minor works) in two intersecting historical contexts: (1) key political and social developments of their time of composition, including the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars, the growing inclusion of women in the literary marketplace, and the burgeoning norm of companionate marriage; and (2) a wider history of feminist thought, extending from Mary Astell’s Some Reflections upon Marriage (1700) to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s We Should All Be Feminists (2015). We will consider how Austen’s fiction participates in both contexts by foregrounding its treatment of gender, liberty, and tradition, and their intersections with race, class, and nationhood. As we explore the gender politics of Austen’s novels, we will also plumb our own, as revealed, for example, in how we approach the cultural appropriation of Austen as a cult figure. While this course homes in on the politics of Austen’s fiction, we will attend carefully to its formal innovations since form and content are inextricably intertwined. Accordingly, Austen’s methods of characterization, her development of free indirect discourse, and her striking use of satire will be important themes in the course. Restriction(s): Restricted to Graduate - Urbana-Champaign.
39507	Online	1U	10:00AM -10:50AM	MWF	n.a.	Nazar, H	Availability: Closed Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/24/26-12/09/26 Credit: 3 hours Section Info: FA26 ENGL 455 - Major Authors - Hina Nazar - Jane Austen and Feminist Politics - The politics—and, especially, the gender politics—of Jane Austen’s fiction continues to be hotly debated by her readers. For some, Austen is best described as a quintessentially conservative novelist, who was seemingly untouched by the revolutionary changes taking place in Europe during her lifetime; her fiction identifies her as a defender of tradition, propriety, and restrictive gender norms rather than women’s agency. For others, Austen was a woman ahead of her times, whose commitment to gender equality is implicit in her novels’ call to women to cultivate good judgment and seek “rational happiness,” and in her consistently satirical depictions of patriarchs and other male pillars of society. Outside of academia, we see a similar division of opinion about Austen’s fiction’s politics, with her work celebrated on Alt-Right websites, on the one hand, and lovingly invoked, on the other hand, by the ever-growing ranks of “Janeites”—predominantly young women who tend to view themselves as liberal in their gender politics. This course invites you to enter these debates and equips you with the tools to do so. It situates five (Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Persuasion) of Austen’s six major novels (as well as some minor works) in two intersecting historical contexts: (1) key political and social developments of their time of composition, including the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars, the growing inclusion of women in the literary marketplace, and the burgeoning norm of companionate marriage; and (2) a wider history of feminist thought, extending from Mary Astell’s Some Reflections upon Marriage (1700) to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s We Should All Be Feminists (2015). We will consider how Austen’s fiction participates in both contexts by foregrounding its treatment of gender, liberty, and tradition, and their intersections with race, class, and nationhood. As we explore the gender politics of Austen’s novels, we will also plumb our own, as revealed, for example, in how we approach the cultural appropriation of Austen as a cult figure. While this course homes in on the politics of Austen’s fiction, we will attend carefully to its formal innovations since form and content are inextricably intertwined. Accordingly, Austen’s methods of characterization, her development of free indirect discourse, and her striking use of satire will be important themes in the course. Restriction(s): Restricted to Undergrad - Urbana-Champaign.
40445	Lecture-Discussion	2G	12:30PM -1:45PM	TR	English Building	Somerville, S	Availability: Closed Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/24/26-12/09/26 Credit: 4 hours Section Info: FA26 ENGL 455 - Major Authors - Siobhan Somerville - James Baldwin - Defying any single classification, genre, or location, James Baldwin (1924-1987) and his writing continue to complicate the ways we think about twentieth-century American literature, especially the overlapping histories of African American literature and lesbian/gay literature. This course will offer an opportunity to study Baldwin’s writing in depth, including novels, short stories, essays, letters, and interviews. We will also view the film documentary I am Not Your Negro (dir. Raoul Peck, 2016). At the same time, we will consider the literary, cultural, and political contexts of Baldwin’s writing, including the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, the early lesbian and gay liberation movement, and the Black Power movement. Along the way, we will read selected critical and theoretical scholarship that sheds light on the politics of race, sexuality, and representation in Baldwin’s work. Restriction(s): Restricted to Graduate - Urbana-Champaign.
32346	Lecture-Discussion	2U	12:30PM -1:45PM	TR	English Building	Somerville, S	Availability: Closed Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/24/26-12/09/26 Credit: 3 hours Section Info: FA26 ENGL 455 - Major Authors - Siobhan Somerville - James Baldwin - Defying any single classification, genre, or location, James Baldwin (1924-1987) and his writing continue to complicate the ways we think about twentieth-century American literature, especially the overlapping histories of African American literature and lesbian/gay literature. This course will offer an opportunity to study Baldwin’s writing in depth, including novels, short stories, essays, letters, and interviews. We will also view the film documentary I am Not Your Negro (dir. Raoul Peck, 2016). At the same time, we will consider the literary, cultural, and political contexts of Baldwin’s writing, including the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, the early lesbian and gay liberation movement, and the Black Power movement. Along the way, we will read selected critical and theoretical scholarship that sheds light on the politics of race, sexuality, and representation in Baldwin’s work. Restriction(s): Restricted to Undergrad - Urbana-Champaign.
60089	Lecture-Discussion	3G	11:00AM -12:15PM	TR	Gregory Hall	Littlefield, M	Availability: CrossListOpen (Restricted) Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/24/26-12/09/26 Credit: 4 hours Section Info: FA26 ENGL 455 - Major Authors - Melissa Littlefield - Margaret Atwood - “The true story is vicious / and multiple and untrue” writes Margaret Atwood, prolific Canadian novelist, poet, and essayist. So, what makes a true story vicious? And how can we come to appreciate what is multiple and untrue? In this course, we will interrogate these questions from several angles via Atwood’s fiction, poetry and criticism. We will use Atwood’s metafictive inclination to ask questions about the study of literature: what are literary genres? (Why) do we value them? How does Atwood weave and unweave literary traditions, myths, symbols and allusions in her texts? Why and how do authors and narrators serve as “tricksters” or “alienated storytellers”? What is the role of the critic in relation to the author and the story? Readings will include selected poetry, essays, short stories, and several longer works. Tentative book list: Surfacing (1972), Alias Grace (1996), Oryx & Crake (2004), Angel Catbird (2016), Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing (2002), Wilderness Tips (1989). [No, we won’t be reading The Handmaid’s Tale, but if you loved that novel, I think you’ll enjoy diving into the rest of Atwood’s work!] Requirements will likely include a brief presentation, in-class collabs, and a final paper/project. All are welcome! Restriction(s): Not intended for Undergrad - Urbana-Champaign.
32343	Lecture-Discussion	3U	11:00AM -12:15PM	TR	Gregory Hall	Littlefield, M	Availability: CrossListOpen (Restricted) Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/24/26-12/09/26 Credit: 3 hours Section Info: FA26 ENGL 455 - Major Authors - Melissa Littlefield - Margaret Atwood - “The true story is vicious / and multiple and untrue” writes Margaret Atwood, prolific Canadian novelist, poet, and essayist. So, what makes a true story vicious? And how can we come to appreciate what is multiple and untrue? In this course, we will interrogate these questions from several angles via Atwood’s fiction, poetry and criticism. We will use Atwood’s metafictive inclination to ask questions about the study of literature: what are literary genres? (Why) do we value them? How does Atwood weave and unweave literary traditions, myths, symbols and allusions in her texts? Why and how do authors and narrators serve as “tricksters” or “alienated storytellers”? What is the role of the critic in relation to the author and the story? Readings will include selected poetry, essays, short stories, and several longer works. Tentative book list: Surfacing (1972), Alias Grace (1996), Oryx & Crake (2004), Angel Catbird (2016), Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing (2002), Wilderness Tips (1989). [No, we won’t be reading The Handmaid’s Tale, but if you loved that novel, I think you’ll enjoy diving into the rest of Atwood’s work!] Requirements will likely include a brief presentation, in-class collabs, and a final paper/project. All are welcome! Restriction(s): Restricted to Undergrad - Urbana-Champaign.