H6   7/11-8/17  MW 6:00-9:40 PM   05068   IORIO, V.   MU-204

Spectacle and Sensation in Victorian Fiction

19th century Britain is often remembered for moralizing self-control, sexual repression, and sober realism. However, the period also continuously produced literature aimed to provoke strong feeling through the shocking, the scandalous, the vulgar, and the macabre. This course will examine spectacle and its resulting emotions across a variety of genres, including the sensation novel, melodrama, and a range of short fiction, especially ghost, horror, and crime stories. We will also spend time learning about the mechanisms surrounding these forms, especially the conventions and technologies of popular theaters, the rise of cheap periodicals, and rapidly changing reading practices. This course will require a combination of formal and informal writing projects and will meet twice a week in person.