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| Semester | fall semester 2023 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Philipp Schweighauser (ph.schweighauser@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | In 1891, William Dean Howells, the ‘Dean of American Realism,’ defined realism as “nothing more and nothing less than the truthful treatment of material.” Starting from this observation, we will read and discuss three major realist novels. Howells’s own “A Hazard of New Fortunes” tells the story of Basil March, who moves from Boston to New York City to start a new periodical, and his wife Isabel. The novel takes us into the urban literary scene and explores the tensions between different social classes, for instance in its creation of the German-born socialist character Berthold Lindau. Henry James’s “The Portrait of a Lady” follows the life of Isabel Archer, a wealthy young woman, who is taken advantage of by European characters out for her money. James’s novel is a splendid example of psychological realism and of James’s international theme. Jewett’s semiautobiographical novel “A Country Doctor” is an important example of the regionalist variety of American realism and gives us a wonderful portrait of rural Maine. As does much regionalist writing, the novel also explores political issues of the time, in particular the role of women in society. |
| Learning objectives | Students gain in-depth knowledge about American literary realism and its historical and social contexts. |
| Bibliography | By way of preparing for the course, you need to purchase the three novels. Ideally, you will have read all of them by the beginning of the term. Note that we will start with Howells though. Additional texts are made available on ADAM. |
| Comments | Note that this seminar relates to Philipp Schweighauser's lecture course "American Literature Survey II/IV: American Renaissance to Naturalism" (27426). However, attendance of the lecture is not a prerequisite for this seminar. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | This seminar is open only to MA students. |
| Course application | Please register on services.unibas.ch. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Tuesday | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 19.09.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Tuesday 26.09.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Tuesday 03.10.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Tuesday 10.10.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Tuesday 17.10.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Tuesday 24.10.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Tuesday 31.10.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Tuesday 07.11.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Tuesday 14.11.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Tuesday 21.11.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Tuesday 28.11.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Tuesday 05.12.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Tuesday 12.12.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Tuesday 19.12.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Modules |
Modul: Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Literatur- und kulturwissenschaftliche Forschung (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Modul: Literaturgeschichte (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Modul: Research in Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | regular attendance, active participation |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Englische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |