Kursinformation

“For many Victorian readers, among them Henry James, Romola was George Eliot’s finest achievement.” (Dorothea Barrett. “Introduction.” George Eliot. Romola. London: Penguin, 1996. vii.)
In this seminar we will read the historical novel Romola set in fifteenth-century Florence and reflect on what historical writing has to offer. We will discuss the cultural and literary connections that the text establishes between Renaissance Italy and Victorian England. Students signing up for this seminar should be prepared to read up to 100 pages per week and discuss their reading experience with a focus on language and style. We will also cover political theories and conceptions of what is history. The overall idea of this seminar is to arrive at a better understanding of what historical fiction was and is. Students are encouraged to reflect on that interest within a cultural context that saw the rise of the British Empire.