English Literature

The Medieval period is often thought of as belonging to the Dark Ages, however, when William Caxton brought printing to England in the late fifteenth century, the richness of its literatures became apparent, permanent, and as well, more widely available. Medieval literary riches were developed over the next two centuries in the English renaissance, when writers such as Shakespeare, Marlowe and Webster graced page and stage with poetry and dramas, and Francis Bacon published philosophical treatises. It is the interlinking of these ages, and the forms of literature produced which will be explored in this module.

“The Enlightenment – the great ‘Age of Reason’ – is defined as the period of rigorous scientific, political and philosophical discourse that characterised European society during the ‘long’ 18th century. This was a period of huge change in thought and reason, which (in the words of historian Roy Porter) was ‘decisive in the making of modernity’. Centuries of custom and tradition were brushed aside in favour of exploration, individualism, tolerance and scientific endeavour, which, in tandem with developments in industry and politics, witnessed the emergence of the ‘modern world’.” This definition, from the British Library website, misses out the most important element of Enlightenment publication: literature. It is in the literature of this period that we find arguments about the value and validity of “exploration, individualism, tolerance, scientific endeavour, industry and politics.”

Romanticism, the artistic and intellectual movement which took place in Europe between the late eighteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries, is understood broadly as a break from the guiding principles of the Enlightenment, since the Romantic Movement emphasised the importance of emotional sensitivity and individual subjectivity, claiming imagination, rather than reason, was the most important creative faculty. The movement overlaps the Victorian period, during which Britain acquired unprecedented power and wealth. Many of the intellectual and cultural achievements were made possible by this power. Yet there were intense pressures too. A rising population, rural unemployment, and migration to the towns, together with the horrendous conditions in which many people lived and worked, meant that the country’s often archaic political system and ways of organising itself were coming under immense strain. This conflict between a small, conservative state and the explosive forces of change unleashed by the Industrial Revolution, continued throughout Victoria’s reign.

The module will explore in detail some of the types of literature produced after 1910, which was when Virginia Woolf claimed that “everything changed”. This module is therefore necessarily a sequential study based on the literatures which came before, and from which it differed. The studies of the modern and postmodern periods have been characterized by a focus on very few texts, to the detriment of other forms of literature which rose to prominence during this period. While Woolf, Joyce, Eliot and Pynchon need not be ignored, this module will remind students that there are other forms of recent and contemporary literature which are equally fascinating to study.

This module will enable students to hone the skills required to undertake research in literary studies and which are necessary to present the results of such research through writing and oral presentation. The module will deepen the range of research skills required to develop a sustained research project. Students will develop their understanding of, and practice, these skills and methodologies before employing them in the development of a research proposal based on a literature review. The module will also introduce students to the key academic skills needed to write a conference abstract and give a conference paper, dissemination practices integral to academic life, which will teach them how to present their work orally, defend their research under questioning, and sharpen their general presentation skills.

The module is mostly guided independent study, supplemented by workshops and a mini-conference during which the conference papers will be presented.

This module provides students with the opportunity to undertake an extended, in-depth research project of their choosing on any subject related to the broad subject of literary studies. In 20,000 words the student will have the opportunity to demonstrate the depth and breadth of their knowledge and understanding of the advanced critical theories and research practices developed during the degree. Students will research independently with the support and direction of a supervisor. Completion of this independent study project will show a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of research and scholarship at this level, demonstrating such key employability and life skills as an ability to be original and logical in identifying and tackling problems, to think both systematically and creatively, to learn independently, and to manage a large project.