Penn-in-London: The English Novel in London
Fulfills Sector 5 of the English Major.
Novelists have been endlessly fascinated by the appeal of this great city. In this short survey of the short novel, we'll explore this fascination in several books that show how the vibrant and sometimes dangerous city life shapes, or mis-shapes, the characters' experience. Readings will likely include: Daniel Defoe's Journal of the Plague Year, Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, and a London-based detective story. Students may also see portions of some films. Course requirements include brief discussion questions for each text, and a longer final project, due after the end of the course.