This course analyses Charles Kingsley’s Water-Babies (1863), Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865), and Christina Rossetti's 'Goblin Market' (1862) and Speaking Likenesses (1874) as works of Mid-Victorian fantasy. The course aims at providing students with a firm understanding of the literary, religious 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 - Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

4 - Christina Rossetti, 'Goblin Market'

5 - Christina Rossetti, Speaking Likenesses

- 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 (Oxford, 2014 ISBN 978-0199685455)
• Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland  (Oxford 2009 ISBN 9780199558292)
• Christina Rossetti, 'Goblin Market' (https://archive.org/details/goblinmarketand00rossgoog)
• Christina Rossetti, Speaking Likenesses (https://archive.org/details/speakinglikeness00ross)

Secondary literature will be indicated on Moodle Blended Learning at the beginning of the course.

Assessment

Written exam. Students are asked to comment on two of three given passages from Kingsley's, Rossetti's and Carroll'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 2021.

Disabilità e DSA

Le studentesse e gli studenti che hanno registrato la certificazione di disabilità o la certificazione di DSA presso l'Ufficio Inclusione e diritto allo studio, possono chiedere di utilizzare le mappe concettuali (per parole chiave) durante la prova di esame.

A tal fine, è necessario inviare le mappe, due settimane prima dell’appello di esame, alla o al docente del corso, che ne verificherà la coerenza con le indicazioni delle linee guida di ateneo e potrà chiederne la modifica.

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 (Oxford, 2014 ISBN 978-0199685455)
• Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland  (Oxford 2009 ISBN 9780199558292)
• Christina Rossetti, 'Goblin Market' (https://archive.org/details/goblinmarketand00rossgoog)
• Christina Rossetti, Speaking Likenesses (https://archive.org/details/speakinglikeness00ross)

Secondary literature will be indicated on Moodle Blended Learning at the beginning of the course

Assessment

Written exam. Students are asked to comment on two of three given passages from Kingsley's, Rossetti's and Carroll'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 2021.

Disabilità e DSA

Le studentesse e gli studenti che hanno registrato la certificazione di disabilità o la certificazione di DSA presso l'Ufficio Inclusione e diritto allo studio, possono chiedere di utilizzare le mappe concettuali (per parole chiave) durante la prova di esame.

A tal fine, è necessario inviare le mappe, due settimane prima dell’appello di esame, alla o al docente del corso, che ne verificherà la coerenza con le indicazioni delle linee guida di ateneo e potrà chiederne la modifica.

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