Diving deep into George Eliot’s brilliant, funny, heartbreaking novel, Middlemarch, a novel whose story spans only the years 1829 to 1832, we will examine the use and passage of time by one of the 19th century’s most insightful and incisive authors. Eliot at once slows down and then speeds us through time, rounding back, leaping forward, using to great effect the omniscient narrative voice, varying character points of view, and a rash of historical gestures to create a sense of both space and time that is not long but feels full and rounded out and stunning. What effect does Eliot’s novel have on the reader, what influence did Eliot lend to writers moving from the late 19th into the early 20th century, and how do Eliot’s use of time-shifts reflect or offer a critique of the shift in the way time moved for families and individuals as the world began its gradual and then very fast move from an agrarian to an industrial society?
Learning Outcomes:
*examine Eliot's use of time as a narrative tool and piece of social commentary
*dive into historical context that lead into and influenced Eliot's novel
*write critically and creatively about and within a 19th century mode
Delivery Method: Fully in-person
Prerequisites: Please submit a prose writing sample -- critical or creative via this form -- by May 15, 2023 to be considered for admission into this course.
Corequisites: Students are required to attend all Literature Evenings and Poetry at Bennington events this term, commonly held at 7pm on most Wednesday evenings.
Course Level: 4000-level
Credits: 4
T/F 2:10PM - 4:00PM (Full-term)
Maximum Enrollment: 15
Course Frequency: Every 2-3 years
Categories: 4000 , All courses , Four Credit , Fully In-Person , Literature
Tags: 19th century literature , british literature , critical analysis , critical writing