A Serial Reading of Charles Dickens's Little Dorrit

Class Description

From prisons literal and figural, through the streets of London and the cities of Europe, Little Dorrit follows strikingly original characters through a multilayered story of greed, hope, memory, and love. In this class we will read and discuss the novel in manageable weekly installments (with no plot spoilers) as we bring to life Dickens’s timely examination of privilege, poverty, and the human faculty of fiction-making.

All virtual classes are recorded and made available to participants registered in the class. These recordings are password-protected and available for up to two weeks after the class ends.

Steven J. Venturino, PhD, the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism, has taught classes at the Newberry Library since 2015 and is a former Adjunct Professor of English at Loyola University Chicago.

What to Expect

Format: Virtual 

Class Capacity: 30 

Class Style: Mix of lecture and discussion; participation encouraged 

Materials List

Required

• Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit. Oxford World’s Classics, 2012. ISBN: 9780199596485

First Assignment

• For the first session, please read only chapters 1–4. Do not read the book’s introduction or preface.

A Brief Syllabus

1. 1.1-1.4
2. 1.5-1.8
3. 1.9-1.29
4. 1.30-2.4
5. 2.5-2.14
6. 2.15-2.26
7. 2.27-2.34
8. 2.27-2.34

Cost and Registration

8 Sessions, $300 ($270 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.

We offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($300), Community Supported ($280), and Sponsor ($320)Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.

To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.

Having trouble signing up? Take a look at our step-by-step guide to registration by clicking here.

The views and opinions expressed in this class and/or by the instructor are not necessarily representative of the Newberry. We aim to ensure that in our classes, participants can have respectful disagreement to foster critical thinking. This is a space to challenge and expand our own worldviews to work towards better understanding and appreciating humanity.

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Questions?

Call us at (312) 255-3700 or send us an email at adulteducation@newberry.org.

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