English Major in Writing Courses, Undergraduate Programs at Northwestern University School of Professional Studies - Northwestern School of Professional Studies

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English literature courses carry humanities credit. 

ENGLISH 313-CN : Studies in Fiction: Reading Jane Austen

Description

Jane Austen has become one of the most celebrated and enduring novelists of the English language. Austen’s novels have rarely been out of print, and in the last 30 years, they have been reimagined through dozens of adaptations in film, print, and digital media. But Austen was more than a skillful and entertaining storyteller: her literary style was enormously innovative, and many of the features we have come to expect from the novel form can be traced to techniques she mastered in her popular works. In this course, we will close read four of Austen’s novels as a means of exploring their historical and literary contexts, their narrative complexity, and their continued influence in popular culture. In addition to discussing key themes in the novel, such as gender, social class, and morality, as they relate to both Austen’s world and ours, we will also take a deep dive into Austen’s prose style and literary techniques. We will consider how Austen uses satire, narrative voice, perspective, character development, form, and free-indirect style in ways that engage and challenger her readers. We will consider, too, how the novels represent the act of reading itself, in both literal and figurative ways. Alongside Austen’s novels, we will read excerpts of early and contemporary criticism, discuss samples of Austen’s other writings, and view several contemporary film adaptations. By the end of the course, students will have developed a vocabulary for describing Austen’s narrative style and effect, as well as an appreciation of Austen’s narrative mastery. No previous knowledge of Austen or her novels is required for this course. Novels may include Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion.

Students who enroll should have fulfilled the SPS writing requirement or taken equivalent writing courses. Meets the pre-1830 literature/culture requirement for English Writing or Humanities majors.