English Literature

English

The English course will aim to imbue students with some of the skills needed to pursue the subject at undergraduate level, as well as exposing them to texts of a greater level of challenge than those covered at A Level. It will continue to explore some of the critical theories and practices touched upon at A Level, especially Marxist, Feminist and Post-Colonial readings of texts, and Practical Criticism.

Lesson Outline: 2 seminars per week and a 1-1 tutorial.

Week 1:

• An overview of literary periods from Anglo-Saxon to Postmodernism, and a discussion of why a literary-historical approach is generally followed in university courses – and possible alternatives • A discussion of the concepts of canon, literary genius and intrinsic worth verses a cultural materialist approach to literature, and possible compromises • Consideration of an intrinsic and extrinsic approach to textual analysis and making a case for an approach that synthesises both

Week 2:

• Particular focus on 19th Century move from Romanticism to Realism and Rationalism: including late gothic, the growth of genre fiction, including crime, science fiction and dystopia.

Key texts:

Germinal, Zola The Time Machine, HG Wells

Week 3:

• Particular focus on early 20th Century Modernism and the project of mimesis.

Key texts:

The Waste Land, Eliot Waiting for Godot, Beckett To the Lighthouse, Woolf

Week 4: Particular focus on the various strands of postmodernism.

Key texts:

The Visit, Durrenmatt Waiting for Godot, Beckett The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman, Carter

Project Outcome: An essay of 2000 words exploring the relationship of literature to its time – exact title to be discussed between teacher and student.

OR

A podcast-style recording, to include readings and expert sources, about a particular literary period or text.