There are no pre-requisites for this module to be added

This module will provide you with a grounding in the ways in which canonical literary texts are analysed within their historical, political and cultural contexts. You will explore the ways in which literature has responded to, resisted or ‘written back' against, or, alternatively, reinforced the dominant ideological forces of its periods. This module will also give you the chance to interrogate the relationships between texts, contexts and universality – in other words, we will raise questions about the extents to which literary narratives can claim to be universal. As a team-taught module that works through a wide range of canonical texts across the ‘long twentieth century', it will also provide valuable introductions to key authors, movements and historical periods, and also to the research expertise of multiple members of the English subject team. As such, it will introduce you to some of the specialised areas of study offered at later stages in the degree programmes. This module will include units on poetry, theatre, short stories and novels from the 1890s to the present. The syllabus features texts by influential twentieth century authors such as T.S. Eliot, Elizabeth Bishop, Graham Greene, Claude McKay and Thomas Pynchon and will work through a diverse range of historical contexts enabling you to consider the very different ways in which authors have responded to specific moments in history, social problems, cultural movements and world events. For example, we will engage with historical contexts including national expansion in the US, the aftermath of World Wars I and II in Great Britain, the Harlem Renaissance in New York, The Watts Riots in California and the ‘Troubles' in Northern Ireland.

Upon completion of this module you will be able to

LO1: Have detailed knowledge and insight into literary production in the long ‘twentieth century’.

LO2: Be able to critically analyse major twentieth century texts within their relevant social, historical and political contexts.

LO3: Understand theoretical debates about the significance of historical contexts in literary studies.

LO4: Understand the latest critical debates about a range of key twentieth century literary texts, authors and movements.

LO5: Develop skills in oral and written communication, online debate and discussion and research.