This course analyses Charles Kingsley’s Water-Babies (1863) and George MacDonald's Princess and the Goblin (1872) as works of Mid-Victorian fantasy. The course aims at providing students with a firm understanding of the literary and cultural scene of the mid-Victorian Period. During the course students will acquire the necessary linguistic and critical tools to analyze works of literature, discuss literary works using the correct terminology, and be encouraged to make autonomous judgments. 

1 - Victorian Fantasy - an introduction

2 - Charles Kingsley, The Water-Babies

3 - George MacDonald, Princess and the Goblin

16 CFU in English Literature in previous BA course

- Knowledge and understanding: students will acquire a good understanding of the essential social-historical and social-cultural factors underpinning the period of study, and will be able to approach English literary studies with the appropriate critical instruments and methods.  

- Applying knowledge and understanding: students will have the linguistic, cultural and critical abilities to describe and analyse English Literature.

- Making judgements: students will acquire the critical ability to judge and evaluate literary texts and will be able to express autonomous opinions on social-literary subjects of different historical periods. 

- Communication skills: students will be trained to have an open and unprejudiced attitude to different realities and periods and express themselves in appropriate language.

- Learning skills: students will possess the necessary methodological skills, the critical abilities, bibliographical knowledge and research skills to continue their studies in the field.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Students are invited to visit my page on Blended Learning Uniurb for further study materials. Use of audiovisual aids is an integral part of the programme. The course will be held in English.  
The course will be held in English.

Teaching

Lectures. During classes students will be asked to present their own reading of some passages (these activities will be graded and are part of the final mark).

Course books

• Charles Kingsley, The Water-Babies (Broadview, 2004), ISBN-10: 1551117738
• George MacDonald, The Princess and the Goblin and Other Fairy Tales (Broadview, 2004), ISBN-10: 1554810078

• Jan Marten Ivo Klaver, The Apostle of the Flesh: A Critical Life of Charles Kingsley, pp. 496-527 (Brill, 2006), ISBN-10: 9004151281
• Stephen Prickett, Victorian Fantasy, pp. 139-172 (Baylor University Press, 2005),  ISBN 1-932792-30-9

Assessment

Written exam. Students are asked to comment on two of three given passages from Kingsley's works and explain their importance in the author's oeuvre and/or what they reveal about the mid-Victorian spirit of the age. You may refer to movie interpretations or illustrations where possible, or compare it to passages in the other novels or poems on the reading list. Your comments should be in English; expected total length is about 400 words (200 words per question); allowed time is 50 minutes.

The programme above is valid only till January/February 2020.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

self study: non-attending students are expected to check out historical and cultural contexts on the internet. They are also invited to visit my page on Blended Learning Uniurb for further study materials. 

Course books

• Charles Kingsley, The Water-Babies (Broadview, 2004), ISBN-10: 1551117738
• George MacDonald, The Princess and the Goblin and Other Fairy Tales (Broadview, 2004), ISBN-10: 1554810078

• Jan Marten Ivo Klaver, The Apostle of the Flesh: A Critical Life of Charles Kingsley, pp. 496-527 (Brill, 2006), ISBN-10: 9004151281
• Stephen Prickett, Victorian Fantasy, pp. 139-172 (Baylor University Press, 2005),  ISBN 1-932792-30-9

Assessment

Written exam. Students are asked to comment on two of three given passages from Kingsley's works and explain their importance in the author's oeuvre and/or what they reveal about the mid-Victorian spirit of the age. Students may refer to movie interpretations or illustrations where possible, or compare it to passages in the other novels or poems on the reading list. Comments should be in English; expected total length is about 400 words (200 words per question); allowed time is 50 minutes. Exam questions will be assessed for 50% on knowledge and understanding, and 50% on coherent and correct expression of such knowledge and understanding.

The programme above is valid only till January/February 202'.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

The course will be taught entirely in English. The final exam and the bibliography are in English.