Well, maybe we have missed out on some classes and some deadlines with the term papers... but we're still able to make it to the final exam. Brontëblog readers are perfectly qualified to obtain the highest marks, we have no doubt about it, in the following on-going course given at the Richmond University.
English 399, Section 2, Fall 2005
The New Nineteenth Century: Filmed and Other Adaptations Elisabeth Rose GrunerCourse Description
This course will focus on the Brontë sisters and their legacy in film and fiction. From the publication in 1847-8 of novels by the three surviving Brontë daughters, the myth of the Brontës has grown. Why have their works proved so enduring, on into the 21st century? These three young women from the provinces have not only stayed in print for over 150 years, they have inspired film, fiction, music, and other tributes and parodies since their initial appearance on the literary scene. Starting with one novel by each of the three sisters, we will then read the myth-establishing biography by Elizabeth Gaskell. We will follow with a variety of revisions, adaptations, and homages to the novels, focusing on questions of literary authority, intertextuality, and the place of the Brontës in 19th, 20th, and now even 21st-century literary culture. Many of these revisions are centrally concerned with the status of women and/or racial minorities: both feminist and "post-feminist" writers have taken on the Brontës and interpreted them for us. Central issues for discussion will be questions of sexuality, gender identity, race, and class status: are these fictions nostalgic for some perceived Victorian stability, or do they remind us of the complexities of identity and art even among our "staid" and "proper" forebears?
The texts of the course include:
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Brontë
The Life of Charlotte Brontë, Elizabeth Gaskell
The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys
Adèle, Emma Tennant (if you want to know more about it, read this
old post)
The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde
And the films:
Jane Eyre (Robert Stevenson) 1944
Rebecca (Alfred Hitchcock) 1940
Jane Eyre (Franco Zeffirelli) 1996 and/or Wuthering Heights (Peter Kosminsky) 1997
The final exam is on December 15. Are we ready?
Categories: Scholar, Sequels
Speaking of Bronte courses, I am sooo excited to be taking a course at my college called "The Bronte Family" which will be offered next semester. My first course dedicated entirely to Bronte! :-D
ReplyDeleteHow interesting! Keep us posted on how you like it! :)
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