This week we will be reading Joseph Luzzi’s discussion of the Work of Genre, where he analyses representations of labour and community in Wordsworth’s poem ‘Michael’ (1800) and Verga’s novel I Malavoglia (The House by the Medlar Tree) (1881). Many thanks to Miranda Jones for suggesting this reading & leading discussion.
- Joseph Luzzi, ‘The Work of Genre: Labor, Identity, and Modern Capital in Wordsworth and Verga’ (PMLA, 2012). Access online here.
The poem’s generic tension between epic and pastoral… anticipates the incompatibility of Michael’s worldview with a modernizing economic sphere. The old world to which Michael belongs will dissipate–as will the epic and pastoral genres associated with it – under financial pressure. (Joseph Luzzi, analysing Wordsworth’s poem ‘Michael’ in ‘The Work of Genre’)
Time & Place:
- 15:00-16:00, Wed 5 Dec 2018
- Shackleton Room (Arts 439)
About the Doctoral Seminar:
This is an informal weekly reading group run for postgraduates within the Department of English Literature. We select a short text to read in advance, often a work of theory, then meet to discuss it. The seminar provides an opportunity to consider aspects of the reading that were thought-provoking or challenging for you, think about how it relates to texts you may have studied or plan to read, and share aspects of your own research and academic practice. It’s also a chance to get together, try out ideas, and meet fellow postgraduate researchers. There will be tea, coffee and biscuits and you are very welcome!
If you would like to join us, please email Dorothy Butchard (d.butchard@bham.ac.uk).
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