Dr. Jo Miller 

Jane Smiley says that “to read a Dickens novel is to be plunged into the mind of a man with few or no boundaries, and to experience an empathy so exhilarating that the man or woman (or boy or girl) of the 21^st century honestly believes that he or she is sensing and understanding the bustling world of the 19^th century.” This course will explore and analyze the novels of the second half of Dickens’ life, and will include screenings of several film adaptations, Jane Smiley’s very readable biography of Dickens, and assorted critical pieces about Dickens’ life and art.

Novels we will read (and/or watch as film adaptations) include:

David Copperfield

Bleak House

Hard Times

Little Dorritt

A Tale of Two Cities

Great Expectations

Our Mutual Friend