History of the Novel

Undergraduate / Graduate

This course will provide an introduction to the history of the novel by examining novels from the last four centuries, including our own 21st, and from all parts of the world (some in translation). We will think about various novel forms that develop over time, including, for instance, epistolary novels, the gothic, bildungsromans and the picaresque. We will also consider the afterlife of these novels in other media, especially in film, and discuss how and why they have proved so adaptable to cultural change. Additional material (fiction, theory, and criticism) will be assigned to complement discussion of the set texts. Discussions sections will take place in Special Collections in the Regenstein Library. The novels will include Dangerous Liaisons, Pride and Prejudice, Rajmohan's Wife, Wuthering Heights, Caryl Phillips' The Lost Child, and Paul Lynch's Prophet Song.