609352 British and/or Postcolonial Literature: Victorian Skin(s): Sense & Subjectivity in 19th-Century Literature
winter semester 2016/2017 | Last update: 27.06.2017 | Place course on memo listGaining insights into Victorian literature and culture; learning to combine methods of cultural and literary analysis; becoming familiar with 19th-medical history and the history of knowledge
While it is widely known today that our skin is partially permeable and needs to ‘breathe’, these facts were relatively new to someone who lived in the 19th century. Dermatological knowledge started to reach larger audiences in the Victorian age; it was also at this time that cosmetics and skin care became more and more popular. The newly formed notion of skin as a cleansing agent that drains the body of ‘dirt’ was immensely influential for 19th-century urban and sanitary reform. How is the knowledge about skin as a permeable border, as the largest and most important sensory organ, reflected in Victorian literature and culture? This seminar examines the representations and significations of skin in well-known novels such as George Eliot’s Middlemarch (1871-1872). We will not only discuss the function of skin as an organ and agent of sense and subjectivity but also analyse the border between self and world as a significant canvas for inscriptions of gender, sexuality, race, and class. In addition to a number of contemporary texts on cosmetics and dermatology, we will also seek to apply new theoretical perspectives, drawing e.g. on the field of Critical Whiteness Studies, in order to critically assess the naturalisation and valorisation of ‘white’ skin.
Presentations, discussions, group work
Active participation, presentation, term paper
To be announced
BA 2015: positive completion of compulsory module 10
BA 2009: positive completion of compulsory modules 3 und 16
Teacher Training Programme: VO 2: Introduction to British and Postcolonial Literary Studies
Due to substantial differences in the allocation of ECTS-Credits in various curricula (teacher training program - BA/MA English and American Studies), the requirements for this course vary. Information will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the course.
- Faculty of Humanities 2 (Language and Literature)
- Bachelorstudium Anglistik und Amerikanistik laut Curriculum 2009 (180 ECTS-AP, 6 Semester)
- Bachelor's Programme English and American Studies according to the curriculum 2015 (180 ECTS-Credits, 6 semesters)
- Teacher training programme English
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Date | Time | Location | ||
Thu 2016-10-06
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13.45 - 15.15 | 40735 SR 40735 SR | Barrier-free | |
Thu 2016-10-13
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13.45 - 15.15 | 40735 SR 40735 SR | Barrier-free | |
Thu 2016-10-20
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13.45 - 15.15 | 40735 SR 40735 SR | Barrier-free | |
Thu 2016-10-27
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13.45 - 15.15 | 40735 SR 40735 SR | Barrier-free | |
Thu 2016-11-03
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13.45 - 15.15 | 40735 SR 40735 SR | Barrier-free | |
Thu 2016-11-10
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13.45 - 15.15 | 40735 SR 40735 SR | Barrier-free | |
Thu 2016-11-17
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13.45 - 15.15 | 40735 SR 40735 SR | Barrier-free | |
Thu 2016-11-24
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13.45 - 15.15 | 40735 SR 40735 SR | Barrier-free | |
Thu 2016-12-01
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13.45 - 15.15 | 40735 SR 40735 SR | Barrier-free | |
Thu 2016-12-15
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13.45 - 15.15 | 40735 SR 40735 SR | Barrier-free | |
Thu 2017-01-12
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13.45 - 15.15 | 40735 SR 40735 SR | Barrier-free | |
Thu 2017-01-19
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13.45 - 15.15 | 40735 SR 40735 SR | Barrier-free | |
Thu 2017-01-26
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13.45 - 15.15 | 40735 SR 40735 SR | Barrier-free | |
Thu 2017-02-02
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13.45 - 15.15 | 40735 SR 40735 SR | Barrier-free |