Serious reading imminent

I have registered with the OU for part 2 of my MA in English Literature. The course doesn't actually start until May but then it is only 8 months before the dissertation is due so I thought I'd better make a start on the reading.
I am aiming at doing something about eponymous 18th and 19th century heroines and their creators. I want to compare the treatment of women by authors of different sex and social class.
I am starting by reading Moll Flanders (Daniel Defoe), Emma (Jane Austen), Shirley (Charlotte Bronte) and Little Dorritt (Charles Dickens) but may not use all (or any) of them!