Early Moderns: The Novels

Early Moderns: The Novels studies some of the great novels of the 19th century. In this course, Wesley Callihan guides students through Dickens’s heartwarming A Christmas Carol, and then turns to Dostoevsky’s darker Russian tale, The Brothers Karamozov, as well as Chekhov’s The Bet. A study of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice looks at both the story and the social setting of England during this period. This course concludes with a hat-tip to two of the 20th-century revivors of the great books: C. S. Lewis, who coined the term “old Western culture,” and J. R. R. Tolkien, with guest lecturer Jonathan McIntosh, who guides students through the story and themes of The Lord of the Rings.

Course Objectives

1. To become proficient in the conversational approach to learning: close readings, interpretive questions, and Socratic discussions of the texts.
2. To gain a grasp of the literary figures and the historical framework of the time period.
3. To develop lateral thinking skills by analyzing and synthesizing themes and motifs.
4. To cultivate an appetite for learning as a way of life (the life of the mind).
5. To cultivate a desire to pursue the highest things.
6. To be able to think Christianly and write persuasively about perennial human questions.

Texts:

UNIT FOUR: THE NOVELS

• The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky
• The Bet by Chekhov
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• A Christmas Carol by Dickens
• Selected Essays by C. S. Lewis

Materials for this course will be made available free of charge by the instructor.