ENGL 140 PZ -Victorian Hunger

Institution: Pitzer College

Description: This course traces the representations of hunger and the place of hungry people in society in British literature of the long 19th century. The pages of 19th-C British literature are stocked with hungry characters. Numerous pamphlets, editorials, and essays on the subject of hunger demonstrates its hold on the public mind. How did these literary and cultural representations of hunger shape the identity of Victorian Britain as an imperial and industrial power? Do these Victorian ideas of hunger have any contemporary resonance? We will consider fiction, poetry, essays, cookbooks, nutritional guides, and other cultural materials from the period.