Event—Adult Education

The Brontë Sisters

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Explore gothic feminism and the moors of Victorian England through the work of the Brontë sisters.

A blue-green statue of three women surrounded by bushes.

Statue of the Brontë sisters, Haworth UK. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Class Description

In this six-week course we will explore the brilliant work of the Brontë sisters. We will read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, the mystical poetry of Emily Brontë, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë, a work that many consider to be the first feminist novel. We will discuss interesting topics such the the rise of gothic feminism in the Victorian period and the pressure that the Brontë sisters and other women writers felt to hide their female identity in order to publish their work.

Katrina Kemble is a literature, writing, and communications instructor who teaches at both Columbia College Chicago and Loyola University. She has a special love for Victorian gothic literature and has studied gothic literature and the Brontë sisters with Oxford University's continuing education program.

Materials List

Required

  • Brontë, Charlotte, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë, The Best Poems of the Brontë Sisters. Dover Thrift, 2015. ISBN: 9780486295299 (Please Note: We are unable to stock this book, but you can buy it directly from the publisher for $3)

First Reading

  • Please read the first five chapters of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.

A Brief Syllabus

  1. Introduction to the Brontës
  2. The gothic in Victorian England and Jane Eyre
  3. Complete reading Jane Eyre
  4. Wild, haunted landscapes, the supernatural, and Romanticism in Wuthering Heights
  5. Divorce, the female artist, and feminism in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
  6. Part 2 of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Cost and Registration

6 Sessions, $270 ($243 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.

We offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($270), Community Supported ($255), and Sponsor ($285). Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.

To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.

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Call us at (312) 255-3700 or send us an email at adulteducation@newberry.org.

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