ENL 4251- Fall 2025 - Kennedy

This course explores literature published in Britain and its empire during the time of Queen Victoria, who was born in 1819 and reigned from 1837-1901. This era was surprisingly close to our own in its interests and concerns. Students will explore a range of authors and genres, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama, in their historical contexts. This course will examine how Victorian writers reworked literary traditions and how their texts relate to nineteenth-century popular culture, new forms of publication and communication, developments in science and technology, and lively debates in politics, religion, and society.