How do we decide, in an English class, what to read in the first place? That is the question at the heart of this early college-level course, taught by instructor Ben Wiebracht. 

Students explore the canon of nineteenth-century British Literature as it has evolved over time, with one-time bestsellers falling into obscurity and long-neglected texts emerging as classics. Along the way, students learn about the various forces and agents that have shaped the canon — from broad cultural movements to heavyweight institutions like the Norton Anthology of English Literature to individual scholars. 

The class ranges beyond the current canon as well. Each unit pairs a canonical text with one that is currently out in the cold, and students are invited to consider how the non-canonical text challenges or enriches our understanding of the period. 

The Fall semester concludes with some hands-on canon-expanding work: in small groups, students make a critical edition of a neglected poem from the abolitionist movement. The project provides excellent training for those who choose to go on to Dr. Wiebracht’s Advanced Topics in Literature courses, which offer students the chance to collaborate with their teacher on a published scholarly edition of an under-studied text. 

You can find Dr. Wiebracht’s most recent collaboration with students under the Pixelia Publishing imprint, The Tour of Doctor Syntax in Search of the Picturesque.