During my time as an English major, I have read several pieces of Victorian Literature, but I have never learned about the characteristics of the subject. While carefully reading different works this semester, I would like to learn more about women and science in relation to Victorian Literature.

I have always been interested in the ways women are depicted during different points in history. When it comes to Victorian Literature, I would like to learn more about the female authors of the time. Were their works respected by members of society? Were there a lot of successful female authors during the period? In the past, I have only learned about the Brontë Sisters, but I am sure that there are plenty of other influential female authors who would be interesting to study. I would also like to learn more about the way female characters were depicted in novels from the time period. It would be interesting to see if they were depicted differently by male and female authors. It would also be worth seeing if they were portrayed any differently in novels from earlier periods. The topic of women in literature has always interested me, so I would love to learn about their relationship with Victorian Literature.

Another thing I am interested in learning about is the relationship between Victorian Literature and science. From 1837-1901, there were plenty of scientific revolutions that occurred. For example, Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution which altered the way many people viewed the world around them. People began to recognize that science played a bigger role in our lives than they had previously realized. Also, technologies such as telephones and modern automobiles were invented during the Victorian Era. I think it would be interesting to see if these technologies were incorporated in the pieces we will be studying this semester.

I look forward to taking this class, especially since there are so many pieces of Victorian Literature that I have never studied before. Even though these two topics are what I am most interested in, I am excited to gain a better understanding of other themes from the period as well.