Unit ENGLISH LITERATURE II
- Course
- Foreign languages and cultures
- Study-unit Code
- 35308009
- Curriculum
- In all curricula
- Teacher
- Annalisa Volpone
- Teachers
-
- Annalisa Volpone
- Hours
- 54 ore - Annalisa Volpone
- CFU
- 9
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2024
- Offered
- 2025/26
- Learning activities
- Caratterizzante
- Area
- Letterature straniere
- Academic discipline
- L-LIN/10
- Type of study-unit
- Opzionale (Optional)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa monodisciplinare
- Language of instruction
- Italian
- Contents
- Representing the New Woman in the transition from Romanticism to the Victorian Age. This course explores the evolving representation of female identity and agency during the crucial cultural and literary shift from the Romantic to the Victorian period, through the lens of the emerging figure of the “New Woman.” Focusing on novels by Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, and Elizabeth Gaskell, we will examine how female protagonists navigate — and often challenge — the norms of gender, class, marriage, and domesticity that define their respective historical moments.
- Reference texts
- Jane Austen
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Edited by Donald Gray, Norton Critical Edition, 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2000.
Austen, Jane. Emma. Edited by George Justice, Norton Critical Edition, 2nd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2011.
Charlotte Brontë
Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Edited by Richard J. Dunn, Norton Critical Edition, 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2001.
Elizabeth Gaskell
Gaskell, Elizabeth. North and South. Edited by Patricia Ingham, Norton Critical Edition, W. W. Norton & Company, 2002.
Additional readings will be provided via the course’s online platform.
Students with disabilities
and/or with SLD who, having completed regular accreditation through SOL, have obtained access to the University services, can request the compensatory tools provided by the law (for example, textbooks in digital format; teaching materials
in accessible formats: presentations, handouts, exercise books, provided if necessary in advance of the lessons), for which see the page
https://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa
. For the request, the student is invited to contact the teacher, who will
put him in contact with the Disability and/or SLD Representative of the Department (prof. Alessandra Di Pilla:
alessandra.dipilla@unipg.it
) - Educational objectives
- Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
Knowledge and Understanding
Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the primary literary texts (Austen, Brontë, Gaskell) and the historical-cultural contexts related to the transition from Romanticism to the Victorian Age.
Understand the social, cultural, and ideological dynamics influencing the representation of the female figure and the emergence of the “New Woman.”
Applying Knowledge and Understanding
Analyze complex literary texts with attention to themes such as gender, social class, marriage, female interiority, and the public/private role.
Critically interpret narrative and stylistic mechanisms that contribute to constructing or challenging the cultural norms of the era.
Making Judgements
Formulate autonomous critical evaluations regarding female representations and the literary strategies adopted by the authors.
Reflect on the ethical and cultural implications of literary representations within their historical context and their contemporary legacy.
Communication Skills
Clearly and coherently express critical analyses of the texts and themes covered in the course, both orally and in writing, using appropriate disciplinary language.
Participate in academic discussions with awareness and argumentative engagement.
Learning Skills
Demonstrate the ability to organize independent study, integrating core materials with critical and secondary readings.
Develop a reflective and interdisciplinary approach to literary study, open to diverse theoretical perspectives. - Prerequisites
- To successfully attend the course, students are expected to have a good knowledge of English literature, particularly of the Romantic and Victorian periods. A solid ability to read, understand, and analyze literary texts in English is also recommended.
- Teaching methods
- Lectures: Each class will begin with an introductory lecture providing context, background information, and an overview of the key themes and concepts related to the day’s readings.
Close Readings: Selected passages will be examined in detail, line by line, to uncover deeper meanings and stylistic techniques.
Class Discussions: Students are expected to participate actively in discussions, sharing their insights and personal interpretations of the texts.
Students with disabilities and/or with SLD, after consultation with the lecturer, may request teaching materials in accessible formats (presentations, handouts, exercises), to be provided in advance of the lessons if necessary, as well as the use of assistive technological tools during the study phase. For general information, please consult the University Services at:
https://lettere.unipg.it/home/disabilita-e-dsa and contact the Department Representative (Prof. A. Di Pilla). - Other information
- Students with disabilities and/or SLD: for any information on University services, consult the page https://lettere.unipg.it/home/disabilita-e-dsa and contact the Disability and/or DSA Department Coordinator (prof. Alessandra Di Pilla: alessandra.dipilla@unipg.it)
- Learning verification modality
- A 2500 word essay to be submitted at least 10 days before the exam session, and a brief oral discussion of the themes and texts explored in the course (15 minutes max). Students with disabilities and/or with SLD who, having completed regular accreditation through SOL, have obtained access to University services, can apply for compensatory tools, dispensatory measures and inclusive technologies ensured by law, to be requested and agreed with the teacher well in advance of tests and exams. For general information, consult the page https://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa and contact the Disability and/or SLD Department Coordinator (prof. Alessandra Di Pilla: alessandra.dipilla@unipg.it). .
- Extended program
- This course explores the evolving representation of female identity and agency during the crucial cultural and literary shift from the Romantic to the Victorian period, through the lens of the emerging figure of the “New Woman.” Focusing on novels by Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, and Elizabeth Gaskell, we will examine how female protagonists navigate — and often challenge — the norms of gender, class, marriage, and domesticity that define their respective historical moments.
We will begin by considering Austen’s nuanced portrayals of women’s roles and rational autonomy within the moral and social frameworks of Regency England. From there, we will trace how Brontë’s Jane Eyre reframes the interior life and emotional depth of the female subject, positioning her as a moral and imaginative agent in a patriarchal world. The course will conclude with Gaskell’s North and South, which complicates the image of the domestic heroine by placing her at the crossroads of industrial modernity, public engagement, and class conflict.
Throughout, we will ask: How do these writers construct female characters who embody or resist the cultural codes of their time? In what ways do they anticipate, or resist, the Victorian “Angel in the House” and later feminist discourses? What tensions emerge between romantic desire, personal autonomy, and social duty?
Key themes include:
The intersection of gender and class
Education, self-cultivation, and morality
Marriage and its alternatives
Work, domesticity, and the public sphere
Emotion, rationality, and female interiority
Shifting narrative strategies and points of view - Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile
- 4 and 5