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English 3601 Studies in Major Writers:  Inventing the Brontës

In this course we will study the works of the Brontë sisters (Charlotte, Emily, and Anne), perhaps the most famous sibling writers in literary history. While we will look closely at their writings as literary and historical documents (around a central question of what does it mean to be a women writer in England in 1847?), we will also examine the Brontë’s rich legacy, through the so-called Brontë Myth—or how their work, their biography, and their legend has moved beyond the novel and the Yorkshire moors and has become an industry unto itself (in film, stage, television, music, and in a variety of other pop culture media). We will explore such questions as: how many film adaptations of Jane Eyre are there and why? how has such an enigmatic novel like Wuthering Heights remained so culturally vibrant? why hasn’t Anne Brontë (the “forgotten” sister) received as much attention? Requirements: 2 papers, oral reports, final exam. (Group 3D)