Contemporary British and international fiction

What is the course about?

This in-the-college course looks at novels that explore aspects of literature and the lives of writers, examining the contemporary perspective from which we reread and reinterpret classic texts, to bridge the gap between past and present.

What will we cover?

We explore a brief and careful selection of recent novels in English, including Dunbar, Edward St Aubyn’s contemporary rewriting of Shakespeare’s King Lear; In Love with George Eliot, Kathy O’Shaughnessy’s prizewinning first novel about two scholars competing to interpret the famed novelist as woman and writer; The House of Doors, Malaysian novelist Tan Twan Eng’s Booker-longlisted recreation of a period Somerset Maugham spent in Malaysia, which influenced one of his most celebrated works; Red Pill, Hari Kunzru's story of a British writer researching the life of the legendary German Romantic, Kleist; and Enter Ghost, British-Palestinian Isabella Hammad’s second novel in which a troupe of actors restage Hamlet, in Arabic, in the West Bank.

Week 1: Introduction to authors and texts
Week 2 and 3: Red Pill by Hari Kunzru
Weeks 4 and 5: In Love with George Eliot by Kathy O’Shaughnessy
Week 6: Break
Weeks 7 and 8: House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
Weeks 9 and 10: Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad
Week 11: Dunbar by Edward St Aubyn.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

Discuss and analyse some trends in contemporary English language novels by renowned and emerging British and international writers.

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

The course is for anyone interested in reading and discussing good contemporary British and international fiction in the English language.

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

The first session will introduce books and their authors to the group. In following sessions, brief opening lectures on each book will be followed by large group discussions with relevant questions, and interventions from the tutor. In the final session we will have a chance to discuss and evaluate all the works studied.

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

You will need to buy or borrow:
Dunbar by Edward St Aubyn’s
In Love with George Eliot by Kathy O’Shaughnessy
The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
Red Pill by Hari Kunzru
Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad.

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

Aamer Hussein will be teaching HLT160 Contemporary Asian Fictions in term 2 and HLT17 Tales from Everywhere in term 3. Look for other fiction/Literature courses under History, Culture and Writing/literature at www.citylit.ac.uk/courses.