Good literature explores identity and relationships so families are key, particularly those that have been fractured, introduced, reconstituted, and blended. We will explore a number of works of classic, or near classic, literature to see how they express character types within fictional step families, from negative to positive, but always recognising the inherent potential for conflict from displacement and rivalry, to the potential for healing and wholeness in these new families.
- Austen, Jane. Emma (Puffin: 2024), ISBN: 978-0593622476
- Christie, Agatha. Appointment with Death (Concord Theatricals: 2014), ISBN: 9780573702389
- Collins, Wilkie. Woman in White (HarperCollins GB: 2022), ISBN: 978-0008542207
- Craik, Dinah. Christian’s Mistake (Outlook Verlag: 2024), ISBN: 978-3385376113
- Dickens, Charles. David Copperfield (Wordsworth Editions: 1992), ISBN: 1 85326 024 X
- Dickens, Charles. Dombey & Son (OUP: 2008), ISBN: 9780199536283
- Forster, E. M. Howard’s End (W. W. Norton: 1998), ISBN: 9780393970111
- Garner, Alan. The Owl Service (HarperCollins: 2013), ISBN: 9780007539055
- Gaskell, Elizabeth. Wives and Daughters (Wordsworth: 1999), ISBN: 9781840224160
- Jewsbury, Geraldine. The Half Sisters. (Oxford Paperbacks: 1998), ISBN: 978-0192837578
- Sagan, Francoise. Bonjour Tristesse (E. P. Dutton: 1983), ISBN: 9780525480402
- Shakespeare, William. Hamlet (Simon & Schuster: 2012). ISBN: 9781451669411
- Smith, Dodie. I Capture the Castle (St. Martin's Publishing Group: 1948), ISBN: 9780312201654
- Turner, Ethel. Seven Little Australians (Ward, Lock: 2005), ISBN: 9781421917481
- Yonge, Charlotte. The Young Step-Mother (Dodo Press: 2007), ISBN: 9781406555165
- Stepmothers, and the various ways they have been interpreted in literature: Wives and Daughters, Emma, The Young Stepmother, Christian’s Mistake, Howard’s End, Dombey & Son, Appointment with Death, I Capture the Castle, Bonjour Tristesse.
- Other blended family relationships and how they have been interpreted in literature: Stepfathers (David Copperfield, Hamlet), step sisters (Wives & Daughters), half sisters (Woman in White, Half Sisters), step brothers and sisters (7 Little Australians, Owl Service)
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Identify representations of different family relationships in classic literature
- Discuss many classic (or almost) works of fiction
