EN2D4/EN3D4: Asia and the Victorians
Overview
This module explores how Britons ‘in empire’ and at home and their ‘subjects’ imagined East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific during the Victorian period. Although concentrating on fiction, it surveys a range of representations, including travel writing, theatre, and essays to expose the various contexts and concerns that shaped Britain’s understanding of these geographical regions and, to some extent, how people in Asia reacted to Britain and the British. The module trains students in historical and cultural approaches to reading literary texts. Topics covered include inter-imperial rivalries; the representation of tea and other commodities; the rise of ethnographic expositions featuring Asian and Pacific food and handicrafts; and late-nineteenth-century interest in East Asian aesthetics. The module also introduces you to popular fiction from the nineteenth century.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module, you should be able to:
- Understand the trajectory of imperialism in Asia and the South Pacific and its influence on Anglophone literatures and cultures during the long nineteenth century.
- Build knowledge about the growth of literacy in English and about Indian writing in English during the period.
- Place British imperialism in Asia and the South Pacific in a comparative context and grasp the concepts of ‘informal imperialism,’ ‘gunboat diplomacy,’ and miscegenation.
- Develop appropriate critical skills with which to analyze popular literary forms, such as the adventure novel and travel narrative.
- Apply a knowledge of critical methodologies such as gender studies, postcolonial studies, and cultural studies to the set texts.
- Improve your ability to develop a topic of your own choosing and to undertake independent research involving primary and secondary sources.
Seminars
- Wednesdays, 10-11:30, FAB6.03
- Wednesdays, 11:30-1, FAB6.03
- Thursdays, 11-12:30, S1.88
Assessment
Syllabus
This module will run in 2026/27.
All readings for Term 1 (and most for Term 2) should be available through the library or through Internet Archive and Project Gutenberg. You may wish to purchase The Secret Garden, however.
FOR ADVANCE READING:
TERM ONE:
CONFESSIONS OF A THUG
FOR WEEK ONE OF TERM 1, 2026/2027: PLEASE READ THE INTRODUCTION AND CHAPTER 1 ONLY. THE OXFORD CLASSICS EDITION IS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE LIBRARY WEBSITE.
TERM TWO:
NOLI ME TANGERE
THIS IS ALSO A LONG NOVEL (AND IS PLACED AFTER READING WEEK FOR THIS REASON). YOU MAY WANT TO READ THIS NOVEL OVER THE WINTER HOLIDAYS.
The full syllabus for 2026-27.
Indicative Bibliography
Convenor:
Dr Ross Forman
Moodle not in use
