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Victorian Literature

Code: 100246 ECTS Credits: 6
2025/2026
Degree Type Year
English and Catalan Studies OB 3
English and Spanish Studies OB 3
English and French Studies OB 3
English and Classics Studies OB 3

Contact

Name:
Francesca Blanch Serrat
Email:
francesca.blanch@uab.cat

Teachers

Laia Puig Company

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

  • In order to take this course, it is highly recommended that students have passed the first-year subject Introduction to English Literature and the second-year subject Literature of British Romanticism.
  • Language level required: C2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. 
  • The competences acquired in the first-year subject Cultural History of the British Isles should be kept in mind.

Objectives and Contextualisation

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SUBJECT

"Victorian Literature" offers an introduction to the fiction published in the United Kingdom during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901) by reading, analysis, debate and through the critical interpretation of four texts.

This compulsory subject trains students, above all, in reading and interpreting a selection of texts. The training offered is essential to follow all subsequent English Literature subjects.

On completion of "Victorian Literature", students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate a solid reading comprehension of Victorian literary fiction
  • Produce basic literary criticism (academic papers with secondary sources)
  • Use the resources of any university library in relation to Victorian Literature
  • Express an informed assessment of the Victorian literary texts that have been studied

Competences

    English and Catalan Studies
  • Act in one's own field of knowledge evaluating inequalities based on sex/gender.
  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Apply scientific ethical principles to information processing.
  • Carry out effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in different languages.
  • Critically evaluate the literary and cultural production in the Catalan and English languages and their historical and social context.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the rules of Catalan and mastery of its foundations and applications in the academic and professional fields.
  • Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams with the aim of attaining the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
  • Identify and interpret literary texts in different languages, analysing the generic, formal, thematic and cultural characteristics in accordance with the concepts and methods of comparative literature and literary theory.
  • Make correct use of written and spoken English for academic or professional purposes, related to the study of language, history, culture and literature.
  • Recognise the most significant periods, traditions, tendencies, authors and works of literature in the Catalan and English languages in their socio-historical context.
  • Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Understand and produce oral and written academic texts with appropriateness and fluency in distinct communicative contexts.
  • Use digital tools and specific documentary sources to gather and organise information.
    English and Spanish Studies
  • Apply scientific ethical principles to information processing.
  • Carry out effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in different languages.
  • Correctly use written and oral English and Spanish for academic and professional purposes, related to the study of linguistics, history, culture and literature.
  • Critically analyse linguistic, literary and cultural production in English and Spanish, applying the techniques and methods of critical editing and digital processing.
  • Interpret literary texts in English or Spanish within their cultural and historical context using current philological methodologies and textual and comparative strategies.
  • Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  • Understand and produce oral and written academic texts with appropriateness and fluency in distinct communicative contexts.
    English and French Studies
  • Apply scientific ethical principles to information processing.
  • Critically apply the different current philological methodologies to interpret literary texts in English and French and their cultural and historical context.
  • Evaluate and propose solutions to theoretical or practical problems in the fields of English and French literature, culture and linguistics.
  • Recognize the most significant periods, traditions, trends, authors and works of literature in English and French in their historical and social context.
  • Students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (normally within their study area) to issue judgments that include reflection on important issues of social, scientific or ethical.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  • Understand and produce oral and written academic texts with appropriateness and fluency in distinct communicative contexts.
  • Use digital tools and specific documentary sources to gather and organise information.
  • Use spoken English and French correctly for academic and professional purposes related to the study of linguistics, history, culture and literature.
    English and Classics Studies
  • Apply scientific ethical principles to information processing.
  • Apply the methodology of analysis and knowledge of genres, metrics and stylistics to comment on literary texts and analyse the culture and history of English-speaking countries and the ancient world.
  • Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams in order to achieve the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
  • Recognize the most significant periods, traditions, trends, authors and works of Greek, Latin and English literatures in their historical and social context.
  • Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge. 
  • Understand and produce oral and written academic texts with appropriateness and fluency in distinct communicative contexts.
  • Use digital tools and specific documentary sources to gather and organise information.
  • Use written and spoken English correctly for academic and professional purposes related to the study of English linguistics, history, culture, and literature.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse and interpret (at a basic level) literary texts in English of the nineteenth century.
  2. Analyse sex/gender inequalities and gender bias in English literature.
  3. Apply the tools and know consult the documentary sources.
  4. Assess how stereotypes and gender roles are present in literary texts of British Romanticism and the Victorian period.
  5. Commenting on literary texts, applying the acquired tools and taking into account the historical and sociocultural context.
  6. Conduct bibliographic searches of secondary sources related to nineteenth-century Literature using digital technologies.
  7. Correctly contextualise literary texts in English of the nineteenth century in their corresponding historical and cultural environment.
  8. Correctly contextualise nineteenth-century literary texts in English within the History of English Literature.
  9. Critically interpret literary works taking into account their historical and social context.
  10. Critically interpreting literary works taking into account the relationships between the different areas of literature and its relationships with human, artistic and social areas.
  11. Demonstrate a solid knowledge of subjects related to the study of Literature and Culture in general.
  12. Demonstrate understanding (C2) of a wide range of nineteenth-century literary texts in English and recognise implicit meaning.
  13. Develop effective written work and oral presentations and adapted to the appropriate register.
  14. Discern the sex/gender factor in the configuration of the literary canon.
  15. Distinguish principal ideas from secondary ideas and synthesise the contents of literary texts of the nineteenth century.
  16. Distinguish the sex/gender factor in the configuration of the literary canon.
  17. Express oneself effectively by applying argumentative and textual procedures in formal and scientific texts, in the language studied.
  18. Express oneself in English orally and in writing in an academic register and using appropriate terminology in relation to the study of nineteenth-century literature.
  19. Identify the main arguments of a written text.
  20. Identifying the main and secondary ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
  21. In an effective manner, organise the autonomous component to learning.
  22. Incorporate ideas and concepts from published sources into work, citing and referencing appropriately.
  23. Integrate knowledge and information from academic sources consulted for written work, citing, referencing and paraphrasing correctly.
  24. Integrate secondary sources related to nineteenth-century Literature in the production of basic academic criticism.
  25. Issue rating pertinent criticism supported in understanding the relevant information on issues related to the literature and culture.
  26. Know how to comment critically on a text from a basic analytical reading.
  27. Locate and organise relevant English-language information available on the internet, databases and libraries, and apply this to work and/or research environments.
  28. Locate specialised and academic information and select this according to its relevance.
  29. Maintain an attitude of respect for the opinions, values, behaviors and practices of others.
  30. Make appropriate critical evaluations supported by an understanding of relevant information on topics related to Literature and Culture.
  31. Make oral presentations in English aat Mastery level (C2) of academic content on topics related to nineteenth-century literary texts in English.
  32. Make oral presentations in English at advanced higher-proficient-user level (C2) of academic content on topics related to nineteenth-century literary texts in English.
  33. Make oral presentations in English (C2) of academic content on topics related to nineteenth-century literary texts in English.
  34. Organise content clearly and appropriately for oral presentation.
  35. Organise the autonomous component to the learning process in an effective manner.
  36. Participate in face-to-face and virtual discussions in English on topics related to nineteenth-century literary texts in English.
  37. Plan, organise and carry out work in a team.
  38. Plan work effectively, individually or in groups, in order to fulfil the planned objectives.
  39. Produce normatively correct written and oral texts.
  40. Produce written and spoken academic texts at a higher-proficient-user level (C2) on the concepts and skills relevant to the study of English literary texts and contexts.
  41. Rigorously assess the values conveyed by the texts analysed, making constructive criticism.
  42. Strengthen the capacity of reading, interpretation and critical analysis of literary texts and language.
  43. Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
  44. Write argumentative essays at Mastery level (C2) of medium length and produce textual commentaries in English on topics related to nineteenth-century literary texts in English.
  45. Write argumentative essays (C2) of medium length and produce textual commentaries in English on topics related to nineteenth-century literary texts in English.
  46. Write text commentaries from a critical standpoint.

Content

  • UNIT 1 – Reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1847) by Anne Brontë. The 1840s–1850s
  • UNIT 2 – Reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. The 1860s–1870s
  • UNIT 3 – Reading King Solomon’s Mines (1885) by H. Rider Haggard. The 1880s
  • UNIT 4 – Reading Dracula (1898) by Bram Stoker. The 1890s

Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Classroom interaction 20 0.8 2, 8, 12, 11, 25, 17, 6, 19, 20, 22, 24, 9, 27, 35, 36, 45, 46
Lectures 30 1.2 1, 8, 12, 11, 16, 25, 17, 18, 6, 20, 22, 27, 29, 35, 43, 44
Type: Supervised      
Other assesment activities (classroom participation, exam) 25 1 8, 12, 11, 16, 15, 17, 18, 6, 22, 10, 27, 35, 34, 38, 43, 44, 4
Type: Autonomous      
Personal study 15 0.6 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 7, 12, 11, 16, 14, 15, 25, 30, 17, 18, 6, 31, 32, 33, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 9, 10, 27, 28, 29, 35, 21, 34, 36, 38, 37, 42, 40, 39, 43, 13, 44, 45, 46, 26, 41, 4
Reading 35 1.4 3, 5, 8, 11, 16, 15, 30, 25, 17, 18, 6, 32, 33, 19, 20, 22, 9, 10, 27, 29, 35, 21, 34, 36, 42, 43, 13, 46

1 credit ECTS = 25 hours > 6 credits = 150 hours

It is recommended that students have taken the Library courses on MLA citation style and on Zotero, which are part of the assessment in the first-year course Introduction to English Literature.

 

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Class Participation 10% 4 0.16 8, 12, 11, 16, 25, 17, 18, 6, 31, 20, 22, 24, 9, 27, 29, 35, 43, 46
Critical essay 50% 17 0.68 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 7, 12, 11, 16, 14, 15, 30, 17, 18, 6, 31, 32, 33, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 9, 10, 27, 28, 29, 35, 21, 34, 36, 38, 37, 42, 40, 39, 43, 13, 44, 45, 46, 26, 41, 4
Exams/Exercises 40% 4 0.16 8, 12, 11, 16, 25, 17, 18, 6, 22, 9, 27, 29, 35, 34, 40, 43, 46

ASSESSMENT

All evaluation dates will be confirmed at the beginning of the semester. The assessment for this subject is based on:

  • 2 exams in class: 20% each (40%)
  • 1 essay (1500 words, evidence from the primary sources and quotations from more than 2 secondary sources): 50% 
  • Participation in the classroom debates both the face-to-face and virtual 10% (self-assessment); students are expected to attend class regularly.

Please, note:

  • Students will obtain a Not assessed/Not submitted course grade unless they have submitted more than 30% of the assessment items.
  • The student’s command of English will be taken into account when marking all exercises and for the final mark. It will count as 25% of this mark for all the exercises and will be assessed as follows: Grammar (morphology and syntax): 30%; Vocabulary (accuracy and variety): 15%; Consistency (among sentences and paragraphs): 15%; Organization (sound argumentation of ideas): 20%; Style (expression and register): 15%; Spelling: 5%.
  • Important note for exchange students (Erasmus, etc.) on exams and other tests: Erasmus students who request to bring forward an exam or any other type of assessment activity must present the teacher with an official document from their home university justifying their request.
  • Completing all the 3 exams is COMPULSORY. Any unsubmitted exercise will be awarded a 0. 
  • This course uses the MLA 9th edition citation style. The MLA usage manual is available in the library: MLA Handbook for Writers of Research papers. MLA Handbook. Ninth edition, The Modern Language Association of America, 2021.

SINGLE ASSESSMENT

Single assessment consists of the following activities:

  • Delivery of 1 essay (1500 words, at least three secondary sources): 50%
  • Classroom exam: three questions (350-500 words)  50%

REVIEWING PROCEDURE:

  • Students have a right to review their exercises with the teacher in a personal tutorial. On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle)of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place. The student loses this right if they fail to collect the exercise/exam within the period announced by the teacher.

RE-ASSESSMENT (continuous and single assessment):

  • Re-assessment cannot be taken if the subject has been passed (it cannot be used to obtain a higher grade).
  • The student must have a minimum grade of 3.5 (maximum 4.8).
  • It is mandatory to have submitted all the assessment exercises.
  • The re-assessment exam will consist of a two-hour written exam on issues related to the subject, or an equivalent exercise.
  • The exam or equivalent exercise is graded with a simple pass/fail. If the re-assessment exam is passed, the final grade of the course will be 5.0.
  • The date and place of the exam or delivery of the equivalent exercise will be published by the faculty in mid-June.
  • The student who can present a medical justification may choose to take this exam, or equivalent exercise, on a day and time agreed with the teaching staff.

VERY IMPORTANT

  • READING: You must read the compulsory works of the course. Any indication that the student has not completed their reading can affect the assessment negatively and result in a fail.
  • PLAGIARISM: In case of plagiarism in an assessment activity, the student will be graded with a zero in that activity, regardless of any other disciplinary process that may take place.In case of new plagiarism, the student will receive a zero as the final grade of the subject. Plagiarism consists of copying texts from unrecognized sources and presenting them as one's own. It includes cutting and pasting unrecognized internet sources, presented unmodified in the student's text. The intellectual property of authors must be respected,always identifying the sources they can use; You must also be responsible for the originality and authenticity of the works delivered. 
  • ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE and other irregularities: authorship of the exercises submitted must always be 100% by the student; exercises in which the use of digital tools are used to alter the student's original production will result in a fail. This subject entirely prohibits the use of AI technologies in all of its activities. Any submitted work that contains content generated using AI will be considered academic dishonesty; the corresponding grade will be awarded a zero, without the possibility of reassessment. In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken. Other irregularities can refer, for instance, to copying in an exam or copying from sources without indicating authorship. Similarly, these evaluation activities will not be re-assessed.

Bibliography

OBLIGATORY READING

Please note: YOU NEED TO OBTAIN THE TEXTS WE WILL BE WORKING ON BEFORE THE COURSE BEGINS.

We recommend that you use the editions below. If you cannot, please ensure that your edition is a reliable one. Reliable publishing houses include: Oxford World Classics, Norton, or Penguin. 


UNIT 1: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1847) Anne Brontë (Oxford World’s Classics edition)

Other recommendations:

  • Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights
  • Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

UNIT 2: Great Expectations (1860), Charles Dickens (Oxford World’s Classics edition)

Other recommendations:

  • Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist
  • Elizabeth Gaskell, North and South

UNIT 3: King Solomon’s Mines (1885), Henry Rider Haggard (Oxford World's Classics edition)

Other recommendations:

  • Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island
  • George MacDonald, The Princess and the Goblin
  • Henry Rider Haggard, She, a History of Adventure

UNIT 4: Dracula (1898), Bram Stoker (Oxford World’s Classics edition)

Other recommendations:

  • Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
  • Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness
  • Herbert George Wells, The War of the Worlds

 

RECOMMENDED READING (available in the library) 

How to analyse, read, and write

  • Habib, M.A.R. Literary criticism from Plato to the present: an introduction, 2011.

  • Leitch, Vincent. The Norton anthology of theory and criticism, 2001. 
  • Phelan, Jon. Literature and Understanding: The Value of a Close Reading of Literary Texts, 2020.

Victorian Literature in context

  • Marx, Karl. The Communist Manifesto.
  • Morris, William. News from Nowhere.
  • Engels, Friedrich. The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844.
  • Carlisle, Janice. Picturing Reform in Victorian Britain, 2012.
  • Eagleton, Terry. The English novel: an introduction, 2013.
  • David, Deirdre. The Cambridge Companion to the Victorian Novel, 2012.
  • Denisoff, Dennis. The Routledge companion to Victorian literature,2020.
  • Moran, Maureen. Victorian Literature and Culture (Introductions to British Literature and Culture). London: Continuum, 2006 (2009)
  • Peterson, Linda. The Cambridge Companion to Victorian Women's Writing, 2015.
  • Steer, Philip. Settler colonialism in Victorian literature : economics and political identity in the networks of empire, 2020.

On the novels in analysis

  • Fisher, Dalene. Resisting the Marriage Plot : Faith and Female Agency in Austen, Brontë, Gaskell, and Wollstonecraft, 2021.
  • Gilbert, Sandra M.; Gubar, Susan. The Madwoman in the attic : the woman writer and the nineteenth-century literary imagination, 1979.
  • Glen, Heather. The Cambridge Companion to the Brontës, 2002.
  • Hoeveler, Diane L. A companion totheBrontës, Hoeveler, 2016.
  • Houston, Gail Turley. From Dickens to Dracula: Gothic, Economics, and Victorian Fiction, 2005.
  • Hughes, William. Bram Stoker's Dracula: A Reader's Guide, 2009.
  • Lewis, Jessica. Anne Brontë and Lord Byron: Lost Echoes of Influence, 2025.
  • Low, Gail Ching-Liang. White Skins/Black Masks: Representation and Colonialism, 2003
  • Luckhurst, Roger. The Cambridge Companion to Dracula, 2017.
  • Miller, Lucasta. The Brontë myth, 2003.
  • Schilling, Bernard. Rain of Years: Great Expectations and the World of Dickens, 2001.
  • The Manuscript of Great Expectations: from the Townshend Collection, Wisbech. Dickens, Charles, 2015.
  • Vranken, Thomas. Simulating Antiquity in Boys' Adventure Fiction: Maps and Ink Stains, 2022.
  • Young, J.E. The Shelleyan Brontës: Mary and Percy Shelley in the Work of the Brontës, 2024.

 Webs

 


Software

There are no specific programmes for this course.


Groups and Languages

Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PAUL) Classroom practices 3 English second semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 3 English second semester morning-mixed