We may have shed the sartorial layers of the Victorian era, but Liz Corsun deftly reminds us of how much our cultures have in common. She recognizes how even more is to be gained by exploring the significance of their stories and the complexities of the era that we inherited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When asked what first captivated her about 19th century literature, Corsun replies, \u201cI was hooked by the narrative, but then stuck around because of its relevance\u2014as a key to understanding our current time.\u201d She sees similar opportunities for her students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI tell my students that literature is a reflection of the human condition. It\u2019s a way of understanding your own moment and of being able to act purposefully.\u201d She wants them to ask the big, often uncomfortable questions, as the Victorians did, and to identify and analyze patterns, make connections and then determine a course of action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are reasons Corsun professes to being a big fan of the Victorians. \u201cThey really worked hard to articulate values, create structures and make substantive legislative changes that protected vulnerable individuals,\u201d she says. And, of course, they wrote extraordinary literature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Corsun notes, however, that they also participated in oppressive colonial practices and frequently promulgated racist and sexist ideologies. Learning about, and from the past, requires as clear-eyed an assessment of it as possible. The challenges of the 19th century, like our own, generated an array of literary texts that tell complicated stories about difficult situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe 19th century shaped these compelling, complex narratives that were designed to hook the reader, so they have this pacing, momentum and drama that I find really immersive,\u201d she explains. They also, however, address issues of inequality, corruption, illegitimate power, individual agency and redemption. She sees some of today\u2019s television serials\u2014\u201cThe Wire,\u201d \u201cGame of Thrones\u201d and \u201cMr. Robot\u201d\u2014as analogs of the Victorian novel, with their numerous characters, multiple subplots, interwoven themes and longer form narratives. \u201cThey meet similar needs,\u201d she observes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Corsun, it\u2019s this conversation across centuries and between professor and students, that constantly invigorates her. \u201cWe go through it together,\u201d she explains, finding excitement in the open exchange of ideas, thinking together, and reaching clarity (as much as possible) in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou need that kind of intellectual energy,\u201d she says, in order to act meaningfully. Ultimately, \u201cunderstanding the relationship between the past and the present is crucial for determining the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ph.D., University of Iowa
B.A., University of California-Santa Cruz<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Introduction to Fiction
Perspectives on Literature
Women’s Literature
Popular Fiction
Jane Austen and Film
Literary Interpretation
Vampires in Literature and Film (May term)
Victorian Literature
Early-Twentieth Century British Literature
Post WWII British Literature
Nineteenth-Century British Novel
Foundations of the Liberal Arts I & II (now FYS & FYSR)
Darwin’s Dangerous Idea (May term travel course team taught with Sarah Bray)
Dickens and the London Theater Scene (May term travel course team taught with Tim Soulis)
Civilization and Its Discontents: Feral Children, Wolf Men, and Wild Women (May term)
Jane Austen and Her World (May term team taught with Melissa McEuen)
Werewolves in Literature and Film (May term)
English Major Capstone: Intertextuality, Subjectivity and Story-Telling
Transylvania Seminar (co-director with Ken Slepyan and Ellen Cox), 2014-current<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Review of Utopian Literature and Science: From the Scientific Revolution to Brave New World and Beyond by Patrick Parrinder in Science Fiction Studies<\/em>, <\/em>Vol. 44, No. 1 (March 2017), pp. 183-185.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBoxed-In: Women and Mid-Nineteenth-Century Farce\u201d Nineteenth Century Theatre and Film<\/em> 41.1 (2014): pp. 21-37.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Review of The Making of the West End Stage: Marriage, Management of the Mapping of Gender in London, 1830-1870<\/em> by Jacky Bratton, Journal of British Studies<\/em>, Volume 52, Issue 01 (January 2013), pp. 252 -253.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Victorian popular theater Bingham Teaching Fellowship, Transylvania University, 2011-PresentAreas of Specialization<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Genre fiction
Narrative theory<\/p>\n\n\n\nAwards<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Jones Faculty Development Grant, Transylvania University, Summer 2009
Bingham Award, Transylvania University, Fall 2007
W.R. Irwin Teaching Award, University of Iowa, Spring 2000
Frederick P.W. McDowell Dissertation Scholarship, University of Iowa, 2000<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":3719,"template":"","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"academic_division":[15,47,5,46],"class_list":["post-248","faculty","type-faculty","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n