ENG4882 - Roots of Genre

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

1) Demonstrate detailed knowledge of a specified selection of works of fiction in a range of popular contemporary genres;
2) Demonstrate detailed knowledge of specified works of pre-1900 fiction in the same range of genres;
3) Identify and discuss shared features which the contemporary and pre-1900 works have in common;
4) Demonstrate understanding of the conventions and historical development of the genres considered ;

Content:

This module is designed to develop awareness of genre and to encourage students to analyse contemporary fiction in terms of particular genres and their historical development; it is also designed to develop student confidence in reading and engaging with pre-1900 writing.
The module will be taught in four five-week parts, each part focussing on a different genre.
In each part two novels will be introduced, read, discussed and compared: a novel in a popular contemporary genre and a pre-1900 novel which is recognisably in the same genre. For example, in the first part an example of contemporary detective fiction (eg Ian Rankin) may be analysed and compared to a Victorian detective story; in the second part a contemporary and a Victorian ghost story may be compared; in the third part a contempary vampire novel may be analysed and compared to Bram Stoker’s Dracula or Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla; in the fourth part an example of a novel in the contemporary ‘chick-lit’ genre may be analysed and compared in relation to a Jane Austen novel. Students will be encouraged to engage with the material through creative response as well as formal literary analysis; a range of assessment forms will be used for this purpose.

Learning and Teaching Information:

Weekly seminars for introduction to and discussion of texts, and completion of other learning activities; students will prepare for seminars by completing guided independent study (eg reading the main texts, recommended further reading, preparing answers to specific study questions etc).

Seminars>/b>
Contact hours: 40
Intended Group size: 15

Guided independent study
Intended Hours: 160