Reading Literature: aspects of narrative and critical theory

What is the course about?

This in-college literature course offers an accessible way in to thinking about literary theory and how differing critical approaches can enrich our reading and how we interpret the books we read. 'Theory' can sound off-putting and possibly scary but this course will put the emphasis on our reading and what theory can do for us, adding layers of insight and interpretation, helping us to appreciate what we read at a deeper level. In that sense, we will be thinking about the intellectual frameworks within which writers are working, and how their writing reflects larger cultural movements such as feminism, post-colonialism, and queer theory.

The emphasis will be firmly on reading our selected books - three short novels - with the tutor helping to contextualise and open up interpretations and understandings via different theoretical approaches. In short, we'll be getting to grips with theory via our selected fictional works, with the focus on what theory can do for us and how we read. It also gives you an overview of how theory has transformed both ideas of authorship as well as ways of reading, offering up multiple ways in which individual readers can approach works of fiction.

What will we cover?

Starting with Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea, we will explore how this short but intense novel returns to Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre by giving us the story of 'the madwoman in the attic'. Through the main character, Antoinette, we will examine what happens when a marginalised character in one book is given a voice of her own in another and how that relationship between texts plays out. As the daughter of Caribbean slave-owners, Antoinette can be productively read through both feminist and post-colonial theory, allowing us to explore how these approaches intersect and can support each other. We will also be thinking about concepts of intertextuality and reception or how one novel creates a relationship with another, and what this interconnection does to both books.

We will then move on to Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin and think about how queer theory and modern concepts of gender and sexuality help us make sense of this book. We will also be discussing Baldwin's representation of masculinity in crisis and how feminism's questioning of gender constructions may be productive to men as well as women. Lastly, with the main character being an American living in Paris, we will explore the idea of psycho-geography, or how place, here Paris, may take on a symbolic meaning in fiction.

Finally, we will turn to Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, a dark and mordantly funny look at patriarchy and mental breakdown. We will use narrative theory to think about the 'voice' of the narrator as well as modern ideas of 'madness' especially in relation to women and creativity. We will also examine Plath's vision of American capitalism and its role in producing conforming subjects.

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

-Feel comfortable with different forms of theory (feminist, queer, postcolonial, reception, narrative)

-Have a sense of how twentieth- and twenty-first century literature has challenged inherited nineteenth century notions of what literature is and how it should be written.

-You will be able to think more critically and comparatively about what - and how - you read, and gain appreciation of how literature and ways of writing have, and continue to, evolve in response to cultural and political change.

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

This course is suitable for anyone wanting to deepen your appreciation of what you read, and you do not have to have studied literature formally before. The emphasis will be on individual readings and responses to our books so please bring an open mind and a willingness to engage interactively with other class participants.

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

You will be taught by a mix of tutor presentations, small group work and full-class discussions. This is an interactive course where everyone's ideas and contributions are welcome. You will be required to do the weekly reading in advance of the class. As there are three short novels, you will have roughly two weeks per book. If you can read any of them in advance this would prove helpful to you.

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

You will need to buy or borrow copies of Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea (Penguin Modern Classics), James Baldwin, Giovanni's Room (Penguin Modern Classics or Vintage) and Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar (Faber). All are easily available in paperback and on Kindle.

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

Look for other Fiction courses in our Literature programme under History, Culture and Humanities/Literature/Fiction at www.citylit.ac.uk.