HUM 3085: Special Topics in Humanities
Britain through the Looking Glass
Spring 2010
Professors Perdigao and Ruane
class time: M W F 2:00 pm
office hours: M W F 3:00-4:15 pm (P); M W F 1:00-1:50 pm (R)
or by appointment
offices: 626 Crawford (P), 625 Crawford (R)
phone: 321-674-8370 (P); 321-674-8797 (R)
email: lperdiga@fit.edu; mruane@fit.edu
website: my.fit.edu/~lperdiga
Course Description:
In this course, we will explore storytelling in and about Britain. As we examine how Britain is
constructed and reconstructed through historical and literary accounts, we will analyze the
relationships between the texts and their contexts. Our constructions of Britain will lead us on a
journey from escapist fantasy to grisly realities, working from children’s literature’s Neverland to
crime scenes, both in Doyle’s Holmesian world and in Jack the Ripper’s grisly work on the
streets of London. Exploring the many representations of Britain—from flights of fancy to
otherworldly occurrences to murderous mayhem—we will work to examine what it means to
define and preserve notions of a place through historical accounts and literature.
Texts:
A. N. Wilson, London: A History, Modern Library, 2006
Judith R. Walkowitz, City of Dreadful Delight: Narratives of Sexual Danger in Late-Victorian
London, U of Chicago Press, 1992
Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Norton Critical, 1992
Frank Beddor, The Looking Glass Wars, Speak, 2007
J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan, Penguin, 2004
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Coming of the Fairies (Illustrated Version), U of Nebraska Press,
2006
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Complete Sherlock Holmes, vol. 1 and vol. 2, Bantam Classics,
1986
Michael Diamond, Victorian Sensation: Or, the Spectacular, the Shocking, and the Scandalous in
Nineteenth-Century Britain, Anthem, 2004
Stewart P. Evans, The Ultimate Jack the Ripper Companion: An Illustrated
Encyclopedia, Skyhorse Publishing, 2009
Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Norton Critical, 2007
Abbreviated Titles:
London: London: A History
CDD: City of Dreadful Delight
Alice: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
LGW: The Looking Glass Wars
PP: Peter Pan
CF: The Coming of the Fairies
SHv1: Sherlock Holmes, volume 1
SHv2: Sherlock Holmes, volume 2
VS: Victorian Sensation
JtRC: The Ultimate Jack the Ripper Companion
DG: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Requirements:
Questions
Quizzes
Midterm
Final project
15%
25%
30%
30%
Throughout the course, for each class, students will turn in one multiple choice question and one
essay question pertaining to the day’s reading. Students will also provide the answers, bolding
the
proper
answer
in
the
multiple
choice
question
and
providing
bullet points to be covered in the essay.
A quiz will focus on the day’s assigned reading(s), occurring every two weeks. The multiple
choice questions submitted by the students will constitute the basis of the quizzes. As regular
attendance is mandatory, make-up quizzes are unlikely.
The midterm will consist of two parts: a take-home exam with essay questions pertaining to the
literary, historical, and critical texts and a shorter in-class exam. The questions submitted by the
students will be the foundation for both parts of the exam. It must be typed, using a standard 12point font with margins of approximately 1¼ inches (about 250-300 words per page), and contain
proper documentation for all works referenced.
The final project consists of at least 10-12 pages written in MLA format and includes a works
cited page. The essay must be typed; use a standard 12-point font with margins of approximately
1¼ inches (about 250-300 words per page). Students will present their projects at the final exam.
For the midterm and the final project, students are required to submit their papers to
www.turnitin.com on the assigned date; failure to submit the paper to turnitin.com and/or
to turn in the hard copy in class on the due date will lead to a failure of the assignment. Our
class ID is 3063545 and the password is Watson.
Academic Dishonesty will be handled in accordance with Humanities and Communication
Department policy. Cheating and plagiarism will result in failure of assignment and/or failure of
course and will be reported to the Dean of Students and recorded in your permanent student file.
Dishonest conduct may lead to formal disciplinary proceedings. Be certain that you are familiar
with Florida Tech’s academic dishonesty policy:
(http://www.fit.edu/current/documents/plagiarism.pdf).
Cell phone policy: If your phone rings, if you try to make an outgoing call or text messages are
sent or received (translation: basically any variation of playing with your phone when you should
be paying attention) you are responsible for bringing pizza (or an acceptable alternative) to the
following class.
Attendance is required. Absenteeism and tardiness will adversely affect your final grade.
Excessive absenteeism could lead to failure of the course. You are responsible for all of the work
you miss.
Course Schedule:
January 11
Introduction
January 13
The Setting—Victorian London (CDD, Introduction, Ch. 1, London,
Prelude, Ch. 7, 8)
January 15
The Setting—Victorian London (handouts provided, VS, Introduction,
London, Ch. 9, 10)
January 18
Martin Luther King Jr. Day—no class
January 20
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: A Fantastic England through the
Looking Glass (Alice, Ch. I-V [pp. 7-44])
January 22
Alice, Ch. VI-IX (pp. 45-77)
January 25
Alice, Ch. X-XII (pp. 78-99)
January 27
Alice, Backgrounds: Parents and Childhood, School, Oxford (pp. 237248); Child Friends (pp. 261-263); Alice’s Recollections of Carrollian
Days (pp. 273-278); C. L. Dodgson: Mathematician (pp. 294-302)
January 29
Adapting Alice (Alice, Fairy Tales with a Purpose, Fairy Tales for
Pleasure [pp. 321-327]; Escape [pp. 327-334]; Blessed Rage: Lewis
Carroll and the Modern Quest for Order [pp. 398-404])
February 1
Alice through a Postmodern Looking Glass (LGW, Prologue-Ch. 12 [pp.
1-79])
February 3
LGW, Ch. 13-25 (pp. 80-177)
February 5
LGW, Ch. 26-42 (pp. 178-267)
February 8
LGW, Ch. 43-56 (pp. 268-358)
February 10
Peter Pan: From Neverland to Barrie’s World (PP Introduction [pp. viixxvii]; Ch. 1-V [pp. 5-56])
February 12
PP, Ch. VI-XII (pp. 57-107)
February 15
Presidents Day—no class
February 17
PP, Ch. XIII-XVII (pp. 108-153)
February 19
Peter Pan—from Peter and Wendy to Kensington Gardens
February 22
Finding Neverland
February 24
The Coming of the Fairies: Rise of Supernaturalism, Magic, and the
Occult in Late Victorian England (CDD, Ch. 6, CF, Introduction [pp. vXXIV]; Ch. 1-2 [pp. 13-58])
February 26
CF, Ch. III-V (pp. 59-122)
March 1
Fairy Tale: A True Story
March 3
CF, Ch. VI-VIII (pp. 123-196)
March 5
Midterm Exam: in-class exam and take-home portion due
Alice… Tim Burton!!!!!!
March 8
Spring Break
March 10
Spring Break
March 12
Spring Break
March 15
Sherlock Holmes: From the Fantastic to the Real
The Real Sherlock Holmes (handouts provided)
Introduction (SHv1 or SHv2)
March 17
The Early Cases (SHv1)
A Study in Scarlet (SHv1, pp. 1-120)
The Sign of the Four (SHv1, pp. 121-237)
The “Gloria Scott” (SHv1, pp. 584-604)
March 19
Mysterious Science (SHv2)
The Adventure of the Devil’s Foot (SHv2, pp. 465-491)
The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans (SHv2, pp. 398-428)
The Adventure of the Creeping Man (SHv2, pp. 652-673)
The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier (SHv2, pp. 538-558)
March 22
Explainable Supernatural (SHv1, SHv2)
The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire (SHv2, pp. 593-610)
The Musgrave Ritual (SHv1, pp. 604-622)
The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist (SHv1, pp. 832-852)
March 24
Murderous Mayhem (SHv1)
The Reigate Squire (or Puzzle), (SHv1, pp. 623-643)
Silver Blaze (SHv1, pp. 521-545)
The Crooked Man (SHv1, pp. 644-662)
The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez (SHv1, pp. 964-987)
March 26
Adapting Sherlock Holmes
A Scandal in Bohemia (appearance of Irene Adler, SHv1, pp. 239-263)
March 29
The Final Days (SHv1, SHv2)
The Final Problem (SHv1, pp. 736-757)
The Adventure of the Empty House (SHv1, pp. 759-781)
His Last Bow (SHv2, pp.491-509)
The Adventure of the Lion’s Mane (SHv2, pp. 673-693)
March 31
Sex and Murder in Late Victorian Britain
Sexual Scandals (VS, Ch. 4, CDD, Ch. 3, 4)
April 2
Murderous Mayhem (VS, Ch. 5)
April 5
Jack the Ripper: 1st Serial Killer? (CDD, Ch. 7, JtRC Intro, Ch. 43, 44)
April 7
Jack the Ripper: Victorian Britain's Great Unsolved Mystery
April 9
Introducing Jack’s Work (JtRC, Ch. 3, 4, 5)
April 12
Double Murders (JtRC, Chp 7, 8, 9, 10)
April 14
Bloody Conclusion (JtRC, Chp 18, 21, 37)
April 16
Writing Sensations (VS, Ch. 6, Afterword)
The Picture of Dorian Gray: A Supernatural Society (DG, Preface-A
Note [pp. IX-XV]; Preface-Ch. 5 [pp. 3-63])
April 19
DG, Ch. VI-XII (pp.63-129)
April 21
DG, Ch. XIII-XX (pp. 129-184)
April 23
DG, Backgrounds (pp. 307-308); Reviews and Reactions (pp. 353-368);
Sexual Politics and the Aesthetics of Crime: Oscar Wilde in the Nineties
(pp. 409-429); Character Design in The Picture of Dorian Gray (pp. 439460)
April 26
Fin De Siécle Mentality: Lessons Learned from Dorian Gray
April 28
Conclusions
April 30
Final (8-10 am)