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Visual and Literary Cultures of Realism

Module description

In the long nineteenth century, realism reigned supreme. The novelist George Eliot defined realist artwork and literature that had the quality of ‘many Dutch paintings.’ Like the fiercely living portraits of Rembrandt or the fleshly working bodies of Rubens, Victorian novels and paintings attended to ordinary events in ordinary life. Above all, realism aimed for truth. Even writers of sensation or gothic fiction tore off ‘the drapery of life’ to reveal criminal intentions and ugly emotions. As we will see, realism is grounded in new medical understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the body, and the psychology of the mind. 

Module aims - intentions of the module

• In this distinctly interdisciplinary module, we will focus on a series of rubrics or key terms: dissection, the senses, transparency, the type, the fragment, automatism, the copy, mapping, naturalism, the photograph. Each week, we will consider one of these terms in relation to specific literary texts (novel, short story, poems) and visual materials (paintings, cartoons, photographs, engravings, sculpture) as well as historical materials (medical treatises, court cases) and contemporary critical theories (Freud, Foucault, Frederic Jameson, Antony Vidler, etc.). This will allow you to embark on independent archival research, and to link those findings with current debates about ‘truth’ and ‘alternative truth’ and reality and the simulation of reality. 

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate a detailed knowledge about the historical contexts that gave rise to realist forms of expression
• 2. Engage in significant critical debates that we will address in this module around such topics as the relationship between science and the arts, crime, social reform, attitudes toward the body, urban planning, technological progress, etc.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Demonstrate an advanced ability to analyse the literature and visual culture of the long nineteenth century
• 4. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of relevant theoretical ideas, and how to use these to develop a deeper understanding of literary and visual texts

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Through essay-writing, demonstrate appropriate research and bibliographic skills, an advanced capacity to construct a coherent, substantiated argument, and a capacity to write clear and correct prose
• 6. Through seminar work and presentations, demonstrate advanced communication skills, and an ability to work both individually and in groups

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

• Each week will be organised around a concept, such as ‘transparency’ or ‘the automaton’ or ‘the fragment’ or ‘the photograph,’ and will include visual and literary material.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• George Eliot, The Lifted Veil
• Mary Elizabeth Braddon, The Trail of the Serpent
• Villiers de l'Isle-Adam, The Future Eve
• Emile Zola, The Belly of Paris
• Corinna Wagner, Gothic Evolutions (Broadview) 

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=683

Key words search

Realism, visual culture, literature, truth