University of St. Thomas

4 Credit Hours

Much of the current notion of a hero--a rugged individualist , an outsider of the establishment, and a passionate but frustrated lover--is derived from the notion of the Romantic hero. The Romantic hero is a freedom-seeker with unwavering will (e.g. Napoleon), a rebel against established norms, and an introspective person with an inner world. "The Byronic hero"--a dashing, passionate, handsome, brooding, defiant, and lonely man of distinction--epitomizes the Romantic hero. Not only Byron, but William Blake, and Percy and Mary Shelley all created fascinating Romantic heroes (and heroines) in their writing, blending myth and history, political and poetical, and Gothic and scientific. Furthermore, they also interrogated how heroic characters have deep contradictions within themselves, to the extent that they can become monstrous, thereby exposing human duality. Mary Shelley's Victor Frankenstein is just one example of such explorations. These writers' constructions of Romantic heroes and monsters made an enormous impact not only on the writers of later generations, but also on philosophy, paintings, psychology, politics, plays, films, and music. From an interdisciplinary perspective, we will investigate how, for example, Blake inspired both The Doors and Alan Ginsberg, how Byron influenced Turner's paintings and Nietzsche's philosophy; how Percy Shelley championed the vegetarian movement as well as the Irish people; and how Mary Shelley's work ushered in the genre of science fiction and served as a source of endless inspiration to Hollywood. This seminar satisfies the British Literature distribution requirement for English majors. Prerequisite: Completion of five ENGL courses at or beyond ENGL 211, including ENGL 380; or, for non-majors, permission of the instructor and department chair.

4 Credit Hours

Much of the current notion of a hero--a rugged individualist , an outsider of the establishment, and a passionate but frustrated lover--is derived from the notion of the Romantic hero. The Romantic hero is a freedom-seeker with unwavering will (e.g. Napoleon), a rebel against established norms, and an introspective person with an inner world. "The Byronic hero"--a dashing, passionate, handsome, brooding, defiant, and lonely man of distinction--epitomizes the Romantic hero. Not only Byron, but William Blake, and Percy and Mary Shelley all created fascinating Romantic heroes (and heroines) in their writing, blending myth and history, political and poetical, and Gothic and scientific. Furthermore, they also interrogated how heroic characters have deep contradictions within themselves, to the extent that they can become monstrous, thereby exposing human duality. Mary Shelley's Victor Frankenstein is just one example of such explorations. These writers' constructions of Romantic heroes and monsters made an enormous impact not only on the writers of later generations, but also on philosophy, paintings, psychology, politics, plays, films, and music. From an interdisciplinary perspective, we will investigate how, for example, Blake inspired both The Doors and Alan Ginsberg, how Byron influenced Turner's paintings and Nietzsche's philosophy; how Percy Shelley championed the vegetarian movement as well as the Irish people; and how Mary Shelley's work ushered in the genre of science fiction and served as a source of endless inspiration to Hollywood. This seminar satisfies the British Literature distribution requirement for English majors. Prerequisite: Completion of five ENGL courses at or beyond ENGL 211, including ENGL 380; or, for non-majors, permission of the instructor and department chair.

4 Credit Hours

How did women's friendship help shape the way people thought about education, marriage, and the birth of a democratic society? In what ways do women writers emphasize or (de-emphasize) the genders of their characters/narrators when they forge friendships? How does female rivalry or jealousy figure in the constellation of friendships? How do women's different social positions complicate matters? As women grew more assertive of their political rights beyond their traditional roles in nineteenth-century Britain, women writers recognized and cultivated their aspirations for a literary career, situated outside the bounds of their domestic roles. By closely reading the literary works of Mary Shelley, Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Christina Rossetti, Elizabeth Browning, and others, we'll look at the way these women writers explored issues of love, friendship, rivalries, and independent thinking through their female characters. We'll also look at the authors themselves by examining how they sought friendships with other women writers to sustain their literary career. This course satisfies the Human Diversity requirement of the core curriculum and both the Diversity Literature and British Literature distribution requirements for English majors. Prerequisite: ENGL 201, 202, 203, or 204.

4 Credit Hours

How did women's friendship help shape the way people thought about education, marriage, and the birth of a democratic society? In what ways do women writers emphasize or (de-emphasize) the genders of their characters/narrators when they forge friendships? How does female rivalry or jealousy figure in the constellation of friendships? How do women's different social positions complicate matters? As women grew more assertive of their political rights beyond their traditional roles in nineteenth-century Britain, women writers recognized and cultivated their aspirations for a literary career, situated outside the bounds of their domestic roles. By closely reading the literary works of Mary Shelley, Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Christina Rossetti, Elizabeth Browning, and others, we'll look at the way these women writers explored issues of love, friendship, rivalries, and independent thinking through their female characters. We'll also look at the authors themselves by examining how they sought friendships with other women writers to sustain their literary career. This course satisfies the Human Diversity requirement of the core curriculum and both the Diversity Literature and British Literature distribution requirements for English majors. Prerequisite: ENGL 201, 202, 203, or 204.