Course

Jane Austen in Context - ARTS3039

Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

School: School of the Arts and Media

Course Outline: School of the Arts and Media

Campus: Sydney

Career: Undergraduate

Units of Credit: 6

EFTSL: 0.12500 (more info)

Indicative Contact Hours per Week: 3

Enrolment Requirements:

Prerequisite: 48 UOC overall, including 6 UOC at level 1 and 6 UOC at level 2 in one of the following streams, English

CSS Contribution Charge: 1 (more info)

Tuition Fee: See Tuition Fee Schedule

Further Information: See Class Timetable

View course information for previous years.

Description

Subject Area: English

Jane Austen currently enjoys a cultural popularity rivalling that of Shakespeare. This course aims to take account of the abiding relevance of Austen’s work in the early 21st century in two distinct but related ways. On the one hand, it focuses on Austen’s juvenilia and novels as social and cultural products of their time. It examines how her works interact self-consciously with contemporary romantic, gothic and sentimental fiction as well as ‘converse’ with each other to form a dynamic and intellectually challenging body of work. On a more theoretical level, it explores the various components of Austen’s literary style that allow her to speak to present-day readers: her use of irony, her ability to illuminate the subtle transformation of character over time, and her unique intermingling of romance and realism. Through these two lenses, the module demonstrates the continuing relevance of Austen's literary and moral worldview.

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