History 353-01 Spring 2006

THE VICTORIANS

David Itzkowitz: OM 301 ((H) 699-1014; (O) x6216 * itzkowitz@macalester.edu

Office Hours: Mon. and Wed., 4-5; Tues, 10-11. Other times by appointment

Queen Victoria has now been dead for over one hundred years and her reign seems to recede further and further into the past. Remarkably, however, the Victorian period continues to fascinate people, not only for its difference from our own time but also because of its familiarity. The more we encounter the Victorians, the more we realize that, in many ways, we remain their descendents and that many of the issues that remain relevant to us today first became apparent during those years. In this course we will be reading a number of Victorian texts and looking at a variety of Victorian things. Though some of the things we will be reading are “canonical literary texts,” we will be reading them as historical sources that illuminate a number of the ideas, concerns, and cultural attitudes of nineteenth-century British people.

REQUIRED BOOKS

Elizabeth Gaskell, Cranford (1851)

Charles Dickens, Hard Times (1854)

Anthony Trollope, The Warden (1855)

John Stuart Mill, On Liberty (1859)

Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet (1886)

Charles Darwin, The Autobiography of Charles Darwin (1887)

Rudyard Kipling, Kim (1901)

All of the above are available at Macalester Textbooks, as well as at libraries. There are multiple printed editions of most of them as well as e-texts of some. You are not required to acquire the particular edition that I have ordered, but if you have no particular reason to acquire a different edition, you might as well get the one I have ordered so as to allow us to have classroom discussions with uniform pagination. There will also be some other reading assigned during the term that will be available in either in reprint form or on-line.

BUREAUCRATIC EXPECTATIONS

We will meet twice each week for lecture and discussion. Attendance is expected. It is also expected (and assumed) that the reading, which may be considerable, will be done on time. Falling behind is not the best way to go.

Each Student will write two analytical papers of ca. 2000-2500 words on an assigned topic and one longer paper (ca. 3000-3500 words) on a topic of their choosing. Each student will also deliver an oral presentation (of around 15-20 minutes) on the subject of their longer paper. The two analytical papers are due on February 17 and March 24. The third paper is due on April 24.

Reasonable accommodations will be provided for students with physical, sensory, cognitive, learning, and psychological disabilities. Please contact the Disability Services Office located at Macalester Health Services, 696-6275, to discuss accessing accommodations.

COMPLETION OF ALL WRITTEN WORK IS A REQUIREMENT FOR PASSING THIS COURSE.

EXCEPT IN TRULY SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES, THERE WILL BE NO INCOMPLETES GRANTED IN THIS COURSE.

SCHEDULE

Week of:

January 23 For Wednesday, read the material on the Crystal Palace and the excerpt from Macaulay’s History of England (handouts). For Friday, read the excerpts from social investigators (hand-outs and on-line readings)

January 30 Elizabeth Gaskell, Cranford

February 6 Charles Dickens, Hard Times

Samuel Smiles, Self-Help (excerpt)

Industrial Readings

February 13 Isabella Beeton, Book of Household Management

Related handouts First paper due, February 17

February 20 Anthony Trollope, Warden

February 27 J. H. Newman, Selections

Related material on religion

March 6 Charles Darwin, Autobiography

J. H. Huxley, selection

SPRING BREAK — — — — — — MARCH 11-19 — — — — — — — — — — —

Week of:

March 20 J. S. Mill, On Liberty and “The Subjection of Women”

Second paper due, March 24

March 27 “The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon” and other selections

April 3 A. C. Doyle, A Study in Scarlet

April 10 Rudyard Kipling, Kim

April 14—Good Friday—No classes

April 17 Student presentations—other things TBA

April 24 Student presentations—other things TBA

Third paper due, April 24

May 1 (last day)