Material and Spiritual Culture of Victorian England - MA Seminar 2

Master's seminars

A two-year MA seminar devoted to the discussion of Victorian culture and art. The course offers and close semantic analysis of artifacts such as toys, postcards. Elements of art history include the discussion of recurrent motives in Victorian art such as ancient history, childhood, house servants. The seminar will also concern the reception of Victorian art and culture in later epochs. A later part includes a survey of topics important for 19th-century culture studies. As part of the course, students prepare presentations of their MA projects which are discussed in class. Also, students receive individual or group assistance in writing their MA theses.

Second semester.

An MA seminar devoted to the discussion of Victorian culture and art. Part one will be devoted to the discussion of subjects dealing with broadly understood material culture, such as:

- relations between high and popular culture in 19th century,

- the form and functioning of kitsch,

- new forms of 19th c. popular culture such as toys or postcards (Christmas, holiday, WWI),

- neo-classicism in 19th c. culture,

- illustrative aspect of Victorian art, recurrent motives,

- semantic analysis of fashion and leisure in Victorian culture.

Part two will deal with analysis of social and political thought of the epoch basing on selected texts. Subjects will include:

- Monarchy, democracy and political system: B. Disraeli i W. Gladstone, W. Bagehot

- Victorian society, liberalism, theory of progress: J. S. Mill, J. Bentham, T. Carlyle, H. Spencer, T. Macaulay

- Raising social conscience and campaigning for women's rights: H. Mayhew, K. Marx, J. Butler

- Religion, science, education: J. H. Newman, Ch. Darwin, T. H. Huxley, M. Arnold.

- Role of art. And artist in society: J. Ruskin, O. Wilde.

Primary sources - exceprts from texts by above-mentioned authors.

Secondary sources:

1. Banach, Andrzej, O kiczu. Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, 1968.

2. Briggs, Asa, Victorian Things. Sutton History Classics.

3. Hillier, Bevis, Greetings from Christmas Past. London: Herbert Press, 1982.

4. Houghton, Walter E., The Victorian Frame of Mind. New Haven and London: Yale U.P., 1976.

5. Flanders, Judith, The Victorian House. London: Harper Collins Press, 2003.

6. Mitchell, Sally, Daily Life in Victorian England. London: Greenwood Press, 1996.

7. Picard, Lisa, Victorian London: the Tale of a City 1840-1870. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2006.

8. Sweet, Matthew, Inventing the Victorians. London: Faber and Faber, 2001.

Knowledge

Students:

- know appropriate methodology,

- know the most important theories of cultural studies within the field of English studies,

- learn about the social structures of Victorian England,

- are aware of ethical norms in scholarship.

Skills

Students:

- can identify a research theme,

- can use the methodology of cultural studies,

- develop the skill of oral and written communication in English,

- can write a coherent scholarly essay,

- can find and use academic sources.

Competences

Students:

- are ready to take responsibility for their work,

- are conscious participants of culture.

The preparation of MA thesis. The first year: plan, bibliography. The second year: 1st semester - one chapter, 2nd semester - the complete thesis.