Victorian Fictions of Consciousness

Victorian novels, Brontë through James, with an emphasis on the ways in which novels engage 19th-century theories of mind and psychology, looking at such central concepts as memory, will, sensation, and perception. Examines the importance of form and the subgenres of Victorian fiction ( Bildungsroman , sensation novel, multiplot novel) in the construction of concepts of selfhood and consciousness. Attention also to the place of consciousness in Victorian and 20th-century theories of the novel. This course will also serve as an introduction to working on topics in science and literature. Enrollment limited to 15.