"Feeling the Victorians: Emotion in 19th century literature"
This seminar engages with emotion as a critical category of analysis, inquiring into the narratological effects and politics of emotion in a range of 19th century literary works. Taking theories of emotions from the 19th century as a backdrop, we utilize particularly current theories of both emotion (particularly by Sarah Ahmed & Judith Butler) and intersectionality, to analyse which kinds of emotions and their expressions are posited as rewardable or punishable, how these texts (re-)produce societal notions of who is allowed to feel what in society, and how particular positionalities (along the lines of race, class, gender etc.) are promoted or rendered precarious, grievable or ungrievable (Butler 2015). Who is considered appropriately or inappropriately 'emotional'? Whose pain is trivial, or to be taken seriously - and why? How do emotions energise texts as regards their narrative developments, and to whose gains/at whose costs? With such questions in mind we will engage with:
Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights" (https://www.amazon.de/Wuthering-Heights-Penguin-Classics-Pauline/dp/0141439556)
Charles Dickens' "David Copperfield" (https://www.amazon.de/David-Copperfield-Penguin-English-Library/dp/0141199164/ref=sr_1_1?s=books-intl-de&ie=UTF8&qid=1529576732&sr=1-1&keywords=david+copperfield)
George Elliot's "Mill on the Floss" (https://www.amazon.de/Mill-Floss-Penguin-English-Library/dp/0141198915/ref=sr_1_1?s=books-intl-de&ie=UTF8&qid=1529576758&sr=1-1&keywords=mill+on+the+floss)
Joseph Conrad's "The Nigger of the 'Narcissus'" (https://www.amazon.de/Nigger-Narcissus-Stories-Penguin-Classics/dp/0141441704/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1529577291&sr=8-4&keywords=The+Nigger+of+the+%27Narcissus%27)
- Lehrende/r: Caroline Koegler