Culture and Conflict: An Introduction to Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Literature

(5 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

In this module students are introduced to a range of texts, in prose and verse, from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Emphasis is laid upon (i) close reading; (ii) the importance of literary-historical context; and (iii) using literary theory. Through the study of a number of texts from these two centuries, students are introduced to a range of contextual material, such as literary and cultural history, and to different interpretative theories. Students are encouraged to develop an awareness of different periods, and of different literary movements and styles within these two centuries: lectures will discuss the Victorian period, the Modernist period, and contemporary writing. This module is intended to introduce students to some of the principal texts and authors of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, to show how contemporary writing builds on the literature of previous centuries and to provide a basis for further academic study of English.