Short course
Brontës
Course status:
Applications being accepted
Location:
Online
Dates:
05/05/2027 - 16/07/2027
Study format:
Online - flexible
Fees:
£430.00
How did three sisters living an apparently secluded and eventless life write some of the most original, passionate and dramatic novels and poetry in the English language? Who were the Brontës, what fed their imaginations, and what makes their writing so haunting, intense, and important?
Listen to Dr Sandie Byrne talking about the course:
The website of the Brontë Parsonage Museum states: ‘To find two writers of genius in one family would be rare, but to find several writers in one household is unique in the history of literature. Charlotte and Emily are ranked among the world’s greatest novelists; Anne is a powerful underrated author, and both their father, the Revd. Patrick Brontë and brother Branwell also saw their own works in print’.
This course explores those works of genius and places them in their literary, cultural, and historical (including family) contexts. Participants will come to understand and be able to analyse what makes the Brontës' writings so haunting, intense, and original. This course is for anyone who has read or would like to read the work of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë, or who is interested in nineteenth-century literature or women’s writing.
Programme details
The course is broken down into 10 units over 10 weeks, each requiring approximately 10 hours of study time. The following topics are covered:
1. Brontë lives and myths
2. Reading the Brontës
3. Charlotte Brontë: structure and themes of Jane Eyre
4. Charlotte Brontë: contexts of Jane Eyre
5. Anne Brontë: contexts of Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
6. Anne Brontë: representations of women
7. Emily Brontë: themes and motifs
8. Brontë manuscripts and editions
9. Emily Brontë: structure and language of Wuthering Heights
10. The endings of the Brontës’ novels, rewritings, prequels and sequels, and opportunities for further exploration.
We strongly recommend that you try to find a little time each week to engage in the online conversations (at times that are convenient to you) as the forums are an integral and very rewarding part of the course and the online learning experience.
Level and demands
This course is open to all, and no prior knowledge is required.
This course is offered at FHEQ level 4 (first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours.
English Language Requirements
We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but we warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements, please see here.
Course aims
This course aims to introduce or reintroduce participants to the writing of the Brontë sisters and to the cultural, historical, and literary contexts in which they wrote.
IT requirements
This course is delivered online; to participate, you must be familiar with using a computer for purposes such as sending email and searching the Internet. You will also need regular access to the Internet and a computer meeting our recommended minimum computer specification.
Programme details
The course is broken down into 10 units over 10 weeks, each requiring approximately 10 hours of study time. The following topics are covered:
1. Brontë lives and myths
2. Reading the Brontës
3. Charlotte Brontë: structure and themes of Jane Eyre
4. Charlotte Brontë: contexts of Jane Eyre
5. Anne Brontë: contexts of Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
6. Anne Brontë: representations of women
7. Emily Brontë: themes and motifs
8. Brontë manuscripts and editions
9. Emily Brontë: structure and language of Wuthering Heights
10. The endings of the Brontës’ novels, rewritings, prequels and sequels, and opportunities for further exploration.
We strongly recommend that you try to find a little time each week to engage in the online conversations (at times that are convenient to you) as the forums are an integral and very rewarding part of the course and the online learning experience.
Teaching methods
- Guided reading of texts
- Guided use of existing websites
- Use of tutor notes and handouts
- Discussions of particular issues and responses to reading in the unit forums
- Close critical analyses of selected extracts from the texts studied
Learning outcomes
You will understand:
- significant features of the styles and themes of selected works of the three Brontë sisters; significant aspects of the structure, language and other features of the novels and poems studied
- the development of the ‘Brontë myth’ and the ‘Brontë industry’
- ways in which the Brontës’ writing represents and articulates significant contemporary issues and debates
- the position of the Brontë sisters as aspiring authors in the mid-nineteenth century.
And you will have developed the following skills:
- enhanced ability to produce close critical analyses of literary texts
- enhanced ability to research and deploy contextual information in the study of literary texts
- the ability to communicate well-supported arguments about the Brontë texts studied.
Assessment methods
You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first 500 words are due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome, but preparing for it and the feedback you are given will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.
Octavia Cox
Dr Octavia Cox completed her doctorate at the University of Oxford, has taught and lectured at the University of Oxford, the University of Nottingham, and elsewhere, and has published various peer-reviewed chapters and articles. Her first monograph, Alexander Pope and Romantic Poetics, is forthcoming. She is currently researching a book provisionally titled Jane Austen and Genre.
Assessment methods
You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first 500 words are due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome, but preparing for it and the feedback you are given will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.
Level and demands
This course is open to all, and no prior knowledge is required.
This course is offered at FHEQ level 4 (first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours.
English Language Requirements
We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but we warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements, please see here.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course Fee | £430.00 |
Please use the ‘Book now’ button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form.