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Victorian Literature: An Interdisciplinary Introduction

By Prof. Smita Jha, Prof. Aruni Mahapatra   |   IIT Roorkee
Learners enrolled: 216   |  Exam registration: 14
ABOUT THE COURSE:
Some of the most powerful and widely studied novels and poems in the English language were composed in the 19th century. These texts are conventionally called “Victorian,” because the time period in which they were published and first read overlaps with Queen Victoria’s reign (1837—1901). Recently, however, “Victorian” as a descriptor of literary quality has become increasingly untenable. Many scholars have questioned the narrowly White and Anglo-centric bias of this nomenclature. This course takes stock of new theoretical work from postcolonialism, ecocriticism, as well as feminist and disability studies theory to offer new ways of understanding and enjoying “Victorian” literature. Students will learn about the debates and conflicts from which these texts, as well as the academic term “Victorianism,” came to be. Students will use ideas from new theoretical paradigms to critically evaluate many “great” writers and their work. By completing this course, students will learn the most sophisticated and innovative modes of literary interpretation, and gain a new appreciation of some of the most canonized texts in the history of English literature.

INTENDED AUDIENCE:
This course will appeal to the following audiences:
  1. Individuals engaged in the formal study of Victorian literature at the UG, PG, and Ph.D level. 
  2. Individuals pursuing their study of English Literature from their own interest.
  3. General readers who have read classic works of English literature on their own, and wish to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the history, context, and theory of the Victorian era.
PREREQUISITES: Ability to read and write English prose and poetry.

INDUSTRY SUPPORT: All industries value the following skills, that accrue from the study of literature, and writing about literature:
  1. Effective verbal and written communication
  2. Decision making
  3.  Leadership
  4.  Emotional intelligence
  5. A wide range of soft skills
Summary
Course Status : Upcoming
Course Type : Elective
Language for course content : English
Duration : 12 weeks
Category :
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit Points : 3
Level : Undergraduate/Postgraduate
Start Date : 20 Jan 2025
End Date : 11 Apr 2025
Enrollment Ends : 27 Jan 2025
Exam Registration Ends : 14 Feb 2025
Exam Date : 03 May 2025 IST

Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.

Page Visits



Course layout

Week 1:  Cultural and Intellectual Backgrounds
  1. Victorian Studies State of the Discipline
  2. Empire in and outside Victorian England
  3. Intellectual Background
  4. Literary History of 19th Century England
  5. Why Victorian Literature Matters Today
Week 2: Industry: Hard Times
  1. Background (author and context)
  2. Theme, form, and style
  3. Scholarly Debates
  4. Textual Analysis
  5. Intertextual Connections
Week 3: Globalization: Great Expectations
  1. Background (author and context)
  2. Theme, form, and style
  3. Scholarly Debates
  4. Textual Analysis
  5. Intertextual Connections
Week 4: Bildungsroman: Jane Eyre
  1. Background (author and context)
  2. Theme, form, and style
  3. Scholarly Debates
  4. Textual Analysis
  5. Intertextual Connections
Week 5: Property: Wuthering Heights
  1. Background (author and context)
  2. Theme, form, and style
  3. Scholarly Debates
  4. Textual Analysis
  5. Intertextual Connections
Week 6: Vocation: Agnes Grey
  1. Background (author and context)
  2. Theme, form, and style
  3. Scholarly Debates
  4. Textual Analysis
  5. Intertextual Connections
Week 7: Faith and Doubt: The Mill on the Floss
  1. Background (author and context)
  2. Theme, form, and style
  3. Scholarly Debates
  4. Textual Analysis
  5. Intertextual Connections
Week 8: Alfred Lord Tennyson
  1. Background (author and context)
  2. Theme, form, and style
  3. Scholarly Debates
  4. Textual Analysis
  5. Intertextual Connections
Week 9: Christina Rossetti
  1. Background (author and context)
  2. Theme, form, and style
  3.  Scholarly Debates
  4.  Textual Analysis
  5. Intertextual Connections
Week 10: Robert Browning
  1. Background (author and context)
  2. Theme, form, and style
  3.  Scholarly Debates
  4.  Textual Analysis
  5. Intertextual Connections
Week 11: Decadence: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
  1. Background (author and context)
  2. Theme, form, and style
  3. Scholarly Debates
  4. Textual Analysis
  5. Intertextual Connections
Week 12: Aesthetics: The Picture of Dorian Gray
  1. Background (author and context)
  2. Theme, form, and style
  3. Scholarly Debates
  4. Textual Analysis
  5. Intertextual Connections

Books and references

Davis, Philip. Why Victorian Literature Matters
Adams, Eli James. A History of Victorian Literature
Flint, Kate. Ed. The Cambridge History of Victorian Literature
Dickens, Charles. Hard Times.
--. Great Expectations
Bronte, Emily. Wuthering Heights
Bronte, Anne. Agnes Grey
Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre
Eliot, George. The Mill on the Floss
Stevenson, R. L.The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray

Instructor bio

Prof. Smita Jha

IIT Roorkee
Prof. Smita Jha is currently working as faculty of English language and literature in the Department of Humanities & Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. She has done M.A. in English (Gold Medalist) from Bihar University, Bihar. She has done Post graduate diploma in teaching English from CIEFL, Hyderabad. Prof. Smita Jha has more than 23 years of teaching experience both at UG and PG level. She has developed course on Neurolinguistics for the first year B.Tech students, She is running Linguistics as elective for the 3rd and the 4rd year B.Tech students. She has published more than 50 papers in refereed journals. She has also written books on divers topics like nativization of English prose, partition literature etc. Her research areas are Linguistics, Indian writing in English, World Literature, Contemporary Literary Theory, ELT. She has supervised seven research scholars on various aspects of literature. She has done a diploma course in Neurolinguistic from Middlesex University, London, UK.


Prof. Aruni Mahapatra

Prof. Aruni Mahapatra is currently Assistant Professor of English at IIT, Roorkee. Prior to joining IIT Roorkee, he was Assistant Professor of English at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA. He has a Ph.D in English from Emory University, and Masters degrees in English from Emory University and the University of Delhi. His teaching and research has been recognized by multiple organizations, including Harvard University, and the Andrew Mellon Foundation, USA. His writing has appeared in multiple peer-reviewed volumes, including Cambridge University Press and the Taylor and Francis Group

Course certificate

The course is free to enroll and learn from. But if you want a certificate, you have to register and write the proctored exam conducted by us in person at any of the designated exam centres.
The exam is optional for a fee of Rs 1000/- (Rupees one thousand only).
Date and Time of Exams : May 3, 2025 Morning session 9am to 12 noon; Afternoon Session 2pm to 5pm.
Registration url: Announcements will be made when the registration form is open for registrations.
The online registration form has to be filled and the certification exam fee needs to be paid. More details will be made available when the exam registration form is published. If there are any changes, it will be mentioned then.
Please check the form for more details on the cities where the exams will be held, the conditions you agree to when you fill the form etc.

CRITERIA TO GET A CERTIFICATE

Average assignment score = 25% of average of best 8 assignments out of the total 12 assignments given in the course.
Exam score = 75% of the proctored certification exam score out of 100

Final score = Average assignment score + Exam score

Please note that assignments encompass all types (including quizzes, programming tasks, and essay submissions) available in the specific week.

YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A CERTIFICATE ONLY IF AVERAGE ASSIGNMENT SCORE >=10/25 AND EXAM SCORE >= 30/75. If one of the 2 criteria is not met, you will not get the certificate even if the Final score >= 40/100.

Certificate will have your name, photograph and the score in the final exam with the breakup.It will have the logos of NPTEL and IIT Roorkee .It will be e-verifiable at nptel.ac.in/noc.

Only the e-certificate will be made available. Hard copies will not be dispatched.

Once again, thanks for your interest in our online courses and certification. Happy learning.

- NPTEL team


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