Solitude in fiction and memoir

What is the course about?

The course is about solitude in recent memoir and fiction. We’ll read contemporary and twentieth-century texts to explore a range of experiences of solitude, in urban and rural places:

James Rebanks, The Place of Tides (2024): Lake District farmer and writer James Rebanks travels to a remote Norwegian island to witness a centuries-old way of life. This is the story of his season with a woman who works alone, caring for wild Eider ducks and gathering their down. ‘A captivating portrait of a younger man learning from an older woman, of the great buzzing jungle of the modern world versus the silent wisdom of old ways.’ (Laura Cumming)

Amy Liptrot, The Outrun (2016): At the age of thirty Amy Liptrot returns from London to Orkney, visiting uninhabited islands and trying to come to terms with the alcohol addiction that has consumed the last decade of her life. Her unflinching memoir is ‘a bright addition to the exploding genre of writing about place and our place in the natural world.’ (The Observer)

Ottessa Moshfegh’s novel, My Year of Rest and Relaxation (2018): A privileged young woman in early 2000s New York decides to take a drug-induced year off from her life. A merciless, dark comedy of alienation from ‘the most interesting contemporary American writer on the subject of being alive when being alive feels terrible.’ (Jia Tolentino)

Marlen Haushofer’s The Wall (1968): When a woman wakes alone in an Austrian hunting lodge, her walk to find her family reaches an inexplicable dead end. Trapped behind a mysterious transparent wall, she begins the work of survival, which is by turns nightmarish and idyllic. This unique novel of extreme isolation, available in a new translation, is reaching many English-speaking readers for the first time.

What will we cover?

We’ll cover both literary and cultural topics on this course.
We’ll consider how these works develop their themes and concerns, including: relationships between humans and the natural world, recovery, health, island lives and alienation. We’ll explore the significance of solitude in these texts, considering both individuals’ experiences and the cultural factors that are shaping them, such as gender, age, tradition and technology. We’ll explore how characters are represented and how writers’ techniques, in both fiction and non-fiction, work to shape our responses as readers.
We’ll think too about how these texts encourage us to reflect on solitude now. How have our experiences of lockdowns and quarantines changed what solitude means? Does solitude change our relationship with nature? And when daily life is shaped by digital interactions and social media, is it still possible to spend time alone?

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

• Discuss these texts confidently, with an extended knowledge of their themes
• Consider historical and cultural factors that shape representations of solitude
• Develop your understanding and appreciation of narrative techniques and styles
• Take away ideas and suggestions to enhance your future reading.

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

This course is open to everyone who is interested to read and discuss fiction and non-fiction. You don’t need to have studied literature or memoirs before.

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

Work outside the class involves doing the reading for each week, and thinking in advance about questions provided for you by the tutor.

Teaching on the course includes: short presentations from the tutor, group discussion, breakout groups, and close reading and analysis. The tutor will encourage participation and interaction, providing opportunities for you to share responses and ideas.

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

You will need to buy or borrow the following, which are available in paperback:

James Rebanks, The Place of Tides (2024 – available in paperback from June 2025)
Amy Liptrot, The Outrun (2016)
Ottessa Moshfegh, My Year of Rest and Relaxation (2018)
Marlen Haushofer, The Wall ([1968], Vintage, 2022)
The tutor will provide all other reading and class materials.

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

In term one Kate Wilkinson will also be teaching the in-college course, HLT183 Exploring Literature: an introduction to prose and poetry, starting in October 2025 on a Thursday. Look for other literature courses under History, Culture & Writing/Literature at www.citylit.ac.uk.