Marriage and Love in 19th Century British Literature
Instructors: Dr. Kheiriyeh Ahmadi and Dr. Fatima Moulavi
Section Hours: Saturday and Wednesday, 2:00-3:15 PM
Location: A304, Liberal Arts Building
Office Hours: Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, 12:00- 2:00 PM
E-mail: kahmadi@auk.edu.kw
fmoulavi@auk.edu.kw
1- Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice,
2- Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre
3- Mary Elizabeth Braddon: Lady Audley’s Secret
4- Victorian Instruction Pamphlet
(Supplemental reading material will be distributed throughout the course).
AUK Mission Statement
The American University of Kuwait is a liberal arts institution based on the American model of higher education. It is dedicated to providing students with knowledge, self-awareness, and personal growth experiences that can enhance critical thinking, effective communication, and respect for diversity. AUK seeks to create leaders and life long learners who aspire to the highest standards of moral and ethical responsibility in their societies.
Course description
This is an apprehensive reading based course. In this course the theme of marriage and love will be profoundly explored in the most celebrated works/novels of this era such as Jane Austen’s and Bronte sisters’. As a model of the expected after-marriage duties of a wife The Victorian Instruction Pamphlet will be examined as well. Historical-social context and the influence of some major historical and cultural changes of this era will be studied to gain a more accurate insight of the Victorian society’s mindsets and concerns regarding marriage and love. This course is intended to present how marriage and love was perceived by the mass and the elite in nineteenth Century Victorian society.
Course Objectives
- To provide a comprehensive introduction to the major literary works of 19th century British literature that deal directly with the themes of marriage and love, and the social impact on these two.
- To apply various approaches in interpreting the assigned novels and readings.
- To familiarize the student with the text analysis skills through certain assigned projects.
- To encourage critical thinking and analysis through assigned essays and exams.
Course Assignments Grade Percentage
First Assignment (Essay) 20%
Presentation 10%
Third Assignment (Midterm) 20%
Attendance and in-class Responses 20%
Final Project 30%
Assignment 1: Essay format with MLA Citation
Topic: Compare and contrast the 2005 film adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice” with the original novel. You need to explore the modifications that have been employed in this version and give direct examples of the modified quotes.
Assignment 2 (Optional for extra Credit): Reaction paper. Choose any area of love and marriage we have discussed so far in class and give your opinion about it. Use the texts we have used so far. Note the influence of the Victorian society on marriage and love. Please do not refer to the internet. 2-3 pages.
Assignment 3: Midterm group project: In what ways might Jane Eyre be considered a feminist novel? What points does the novel make about the treatment and position of women in Victorian society? With particular attention to the book’s treatment of marriage, is there any way in which it might be considered anti-feminist?
Assignment 4: Final Project- Observe a film that is based on one of the Victorian novels on the theme of love and marriage in 19th century. Compare and contrast between the film and the original text. Next, analyze the ideas of marriage and love presented in the novel through one of these different criticism approaches:
Marxist
Feminist
Freudian
Proposed Course Schedule:
Week 1 (Sept 16): Introduction to the Course
(Sept 20): Lecture on marriage and love in human fundamental level and The Victorian society / Assigned reading from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice: Chapters 1-14
Week 2 (Sept 23): Reading: Pride and Prejudice: Chapters 15-30, Group Presentation on the author, in class discussion.
(Sept 27): Reading: Pride and Prejudice: Chapters 31-45, Group Presentation, in-class discussion.
Week 3 (Sept 30): Reading: Chapters 46-61, Group Presentation, In-class discussion. (The lecture will be held outside the traditional classroom on Campus grass area)
(Oct 4): Watch the 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice in the auditorium. Free popcorn and soya is available!
Week 4 (Oct 7): Continue Watching the Film Pride and Prejudice (2005). Student reaction in depicting the differences between the film and the book.
(Oct 11): Assignment 1: Essay format with MLA Citation
Topic: Compare and contrast the 2005 film adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice” with the original novel. You need to explore the modifications that have been employed in this version and give direct examples of the modified quotes. In the analytical level, you must observe the reason behind this type of interpretation of the original text. Minimum of 1500 words. Due in two weeks.
Week 5 (Oct 14): Reading Jane Eyre: Chapters 1-10. Presentation on the author.
(Oct 18): Reading Jane Eyre: Chapters 10-20. Group Presentation. In-class discussion.
Week 6 (Oct 21): First Essay Due. Reading JE: Chapters: 20-30, Group Presentation. In-class discussion.
(Oct 25): Reading JE: Chapters: 30-38, Group Presentation. In-class discussion.
Week 7 (Oct 28): Mid Term Project: Address the following question in any desired method (Formal Essay, Powerpoint Presentation, Construct a Movie Clip, or a blog):
In what ways might Jane Eyre be considered a feminist novel? What points does the novel make about the treatment and position of women in Victorian society? With particular attention to the book’s treatment of marriage, is there any way in which it might be considered anti-feminist?
(Nov 1): Reading Lady Audley’s Secret, Chapters 1-10. Presentation on the author Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1862).
Week 8 (Nov 4): Reading LAS, Chapters: 10-20. Group Presentation. In-class discussion.
(Nov 8): Reading LAS, Chapters: 20-30, Group Presentation, in-class response.
Week 9 (Nov 11-15): Class Presentation of Mid Term Projects
Week 10 (Nov 18): Reading LAS, Chapters: 30-41. Group presentation. In-class discussion.
(Nov 22): Reading “Victorian Instruction Pamphlet.” In-class discussion.
Week 11 (Nov 25-29): No Classes – Professors at Academic Seminars held in London
Week 12 (Dec 2): Reading “Victorian Instruction Pamphlet.” In-class discussion.
(Dec 6): Reading “VIP,” in-class discussion.
Week 13 (Dec 9): Reading “VIP,” in-class response.
(Dec 13): Guest Speaker, Professor Angela Braxton from Virginia
Week 14 (Dec 16): Final Project: Observe a film that is based on one of the Victorian novels on the theme of love and marriage in 19th century. Compare and contrast between the film and the original text. Next, analyze the ideas of marriage and love presented in the novel through one of these different criticism approaches: Marxist, Feminist and Freudian.
Reading additional handouts on love and marriage in Victorian Society (TBA). In-class discussion.
(Dec 20): Workshop on final projects
Week 15: Winter Break
Week 16 (Jan 6): Final Projects Presentations
(Jan 10): Final Projects Presentations
