Decadence and dread: Dracula, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Aims

This course aims to: 

• introduce you to selected texts in the cultural and historical contexts of the 
  late 19th century
   
• develop your understanding of the nature of the narrative structure and style of the 
  selected works and how the form of the novels reflects their themes and content
   
• enable you to demonstrate knowledge of the major themes and concerns of British 
  fin-de-siècle literature

Content

This course will introduce you to the artists and writers at work during the last years of the 19th century and the first years of the 20th, as you explore how they produced a rich stew of aesthetic and literary innovation, often daring in tone, style and subject matter. The cultural movements which are combined under the general heading of the ‘fin-de-siècle’ such as symbolism and decadence contributed to the development of modernism and reset literary style for the modern world. Through deep readings of our three novels, you will discover how the literature of the British fin-de-siècle is often gothic, mordant and melodramatic; it may seem to be symptomatic of a hysterical and anxious period, full of images of split selves, monstrous doubles, infection, and disintegration of all kinds, undoubtedly influenced by the scientific and pseudo-scientific theories of the time. However, the texts which will form the focus of our course also experiment with complex and contested ideas about the self and society, about race and empire, and about gender roles and sexual identity. Our aim will be to attend to the literary representation of these complicated and intertwining contexts, and to notice how our authors created characters who spoke not only to their own times but have survived and persisted into our own era.

Presentation of the course 

The course will be taught through short lectures which outline key terms and contexts followed by seminar style-discussion. Students are asked to read all the novels in full before the course and will be encouraged to share their opinions of the works in class. Please bring a copy with you to class, in book or e-reader format.

Course sessions

1. ‘Fin du monde’: Introduction to the cultural atmosphere of the British fin-de-siècle
    
2. Doubles: Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1880)
    
3. Selves: Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890)
    
4. Monsters: Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897)
    
5. Conclusions and the continuing influence of the aesthetic and narratives of the 
   fin-de- siècle

Learning outcomes

You are expected to gain from this series of classroom sessions a greater understanding of the subject and of the core issues and arguments central to the course. 

The learning outcomes for this course are:

• to demonstrate in spoken or written form developing knowledge of the literature of the period
   
• to analyse and describe the narrative form and style of the works covered by the course
   
• to develop your own readings of the works, aided by the evaluation of literary criticism of 
  the novels

Required reading

Please read all three novels in advance of the course and bring a copy of each with you to the relevant class. You will get the most out of the course if you have read all of the novels before the class and the class will be taught on the assumption that students know the plots and characters of the novels. The tutor will be using Oxford World’s Classics editions, recommended below, but you are welcome to use any edition in book form or on e-reader. Norton Critical Editions are particularly good scholarly editions if you would like to have access to the accompanying criticism they provide.

*Stevenson, Robert Louis, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Tales, edited by Roger Luckhurst (Oxford World’s Classics 2008)

*Stoker, Bram, Dracula, edited by Roger Luckhurst (Oxford World’s Classics 2011)

*Wilde, Oscar, The Picture of Dorian Gray, edited by Joseph Bristow (Oxford World’s Classics 2008)

Typical week: Monday to Friday 

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students.   

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to your learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events. 

Evaluation and Academic Credit  

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses.  

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay. 

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit. 

Certificate of attendance 

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.