Nineteenth Century Literature and Culture (MA)

Course content

You'll have the opportunity to study the cultural meaning and associations of the variety of styles and genres in which Victorian literature was produced. You'll develop an understanding of the engagement of Victorian literature with a range of political, social and aesthetic issues in the period, and different critical perspectives on Victorian literature. Your option modules allow for more specialised study of particular issues relevant to the study of nineteenth-century literature and its historical, social and political contexts.

You'll study one core module (20 credits) and choose three modules (20 credits each) from a range of options offered by the Department of English and Related Literature and other arts and humanities departments. You'll study two short research skills training modules (10 credits each), and complete a research dissertation (80 credits). The total number of credits for the course is 180.

Modules Dissertation Modules The core module surveys the major literary and cultural developments in the period and the central preoccupations of Victorian writing, as formulated by contemporaries and by recent critics and theorists. It introduces you to key thematic areas and problems in the interpretation of nineteenth-century literature across a broad range of genres. On the Postgraduate Life in Practice module, you'll learn valuable skills in research, writing, reflection, presentation, publishing and career development. Core modules Questioning the Victorians: Texts, Contexts and Afterlives Postgraduate Life in Practice Option modules You will also study three option modules. Examples can be found below. Some option module combinations may not be possible. The options available to you will be confirmed after you begin your course. Questioning the Victorians: Texts, Contexts and Afterlives The Translation of the World: Reading the Global Nineteenth Century Literature, Medicine, and Metropolis, 1785-1850 Representing the City, 1750-1850 Reading Modernity Can the Madwoman Escape the Attic? Race, Slavery, & Nineteenth-Century Fiction Four Nations of British Poetry: 1845-1940 Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning. Dissertation Dissertation Your dissertation offers you the chance to examine a topic in depth and to develop your research skills. In Summer Term and over the vacation, you'll work on a 12,000-14,000-word dissertation with regular supervision from a member of staff. You'll submit your dissertation in September.