Literary Landscapes

You will read and discuss Hardy's Return of the Native; Conrad's The Secret Agent; Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping; WG Sebald's Austerlitz in terms of outer forms and inner mental landscapes.

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Key course information

Dates
21/09/11 - 07/12/11

Day(s)
Wed

Duration
12 weeks

Time
12:30 - 14:30

Fees
Full fee: £120
Senior fee: £68
Concession: £32

Venue
KS - Keeley Street

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Course code
HLT16

Availability
This course has finished

This course has finished

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Still got questions?
humanities@citylit.ac.uk or call 020 7492 2652

Course outline

What is the course about?

This course introduces four major novels through the idea that they each create a ‘landscape’ – both external and internal – that is significant for the movement into modernity for the novel as a form.

What topics will we cover?

The four novels are: Thomas Hardy The Return of the Native (1878); Joseph Conrad The Secret Agent (1907); Marilynne Robinson Housekeeping (1980); W.G.Sebald Austerlitz (2001). The landscapes are both rural and urban, material and mental, British, European and American, and belong both to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. We can explore the novels in many ways but our primary guide will be to consider the specific fictional worlds that are created.

By the end of this course you should be able to:

Read closely and with literary insight passages taken from these novels;
show you understand literary, cultural and historical contexts within which these works have been written;
have a range of ideas about the representation and meaning of landscape in fiction.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

Anyone with an enjoyment in reading novels (two quite long, two short) is welcome. You will need an enthusiasm for reading and discussing a range of texts in large and small groups. You will be willing and able to do some reading and preparation outside the class. You will be interested in listening to, and learning from, the responses of other students to the work discussed. You will have a commitment to developing your analytical skills.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

This course is based upon discussion of significant passages and episodes from the novels. Pair and small group work on specific passages and issues, and tutor-led whole class discussion will be the usual mode. Precise reading for the following week will always be indicated beforehand. Any necessary hand outs will be provided.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

It is very helpful if we work from the same editions (and difficult if we don’t!):
Hardy, Return of the Native, Oxford World’s Classics (ed. Simon Gattrell 2008) £6.99
(Please read Book 1, ‘The Three Women’, for the first lesson)
Conrad, The Secret Agent, Wordsworth Classics (ed. Hugh Epstein 2000) £1.99
Robinson, Housekeeping, Faber and Faber, £7.99
(Do not buy Austerlitz yet, Penguin, £9.99).

Do I need to have an interview before I can enrol?

No.

What feedback will I get?

You will receive regular feedback from your tutor throughout the course, as and when appropriate. At the end of the course you and your tutor are asked to assess the progress you have made.

How will I be able to give my views on the course?

Please complete the evaluation form at the end of your course. These are monitored and help us to continually improve our courses.

How do I find out if I can get some support for my learning?

You may be interested in: education and careers advice; financial and childcare support; disability support; support for Deaf and hearing-impaired students; dyslexia support; English and maths support; counselling, and library services (supported learning centre). To find out what may be available to you, and how to apply, see page 213 of the 11/12 course guide, or visit www.citylit.ac.uk/students

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

General information and advice on courses at City Lit is available from the Information and Advice Shop, open Monday to Friday 12:00 – 19:00 during term time, and Monday to Friday 12:00 – 17:00 out of term time. See the course guide for term dates and further details.

Who can I contact for further information?

Tel: 020 7492 2652

humanities@citylit.ac.uk

Advice times:

During term-time Monday 12.30–13.30 and 17.30–18.30 Thursday 12.30–13.30 and 17.30–18.30

Non term-time Monday 17.30–18.30 Thursday 12.30–13.30.

To enrol on a course, call 020 7831 7831.