The Serial Imagination: Literature and Journalism in the 19th Century

An introduction to the emergence of mass culture in nineteenth-century England and America with particular attention to fiction and nonfiction writing in the periodical press during this period. We will examine some of the key historical developments that led to the rise of mass-market journalism and how it shaped public opinion on issues such as urban poverty, modernity, and slavery. We will also consider aesthetic questions raised by serialization and the relationship between fiction and nonfiction in journalism. Authors include Dickens, Poe, Melville, Stowe, Stevenson, and West. Visits to the Hay Library to consult original materials.