Ways into Advanced Literature: the dawning of modernity

What is the course about?

This in-person literature course encourages you to further develop your close reading analytical skills through the
study of two novels and a play. The course encourages development and enjoyment of literary study, whether going on to pursue a degree or for enjoyment of studying texts at a deeper level. You will ideally have some previous experience of studying Literature or other Humanities subjects.

Throughout the course we will focus on narrative structure, character development and language used, explored through the lens of the historical and cultural context of the first decades of the twentieth century.

Follow on courses in terms two and three will be offered on the same day and time, taught by the same tutor. (See no.7 for details)

Half term: 29 October.

What will we cover?

Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov.
Three Sisters was written in 1900 and first performed in 1901 by the Moscow Arts Theatre. It was the penultimate of his four great plays, where hope, longing and tragedy are played out against a changing society. Was the play a comedy, a tragedy or both? We explore this question, considering the play as both performance and literary text.

"Modern drama has two indisputable founding fathers: Henrik Ibsen and Anton Chekhov. If Ibsen liberated drama's subject matter and restored the play as a serious criticism of life, Chekhov supplied the theatre with a radically new method and dramatic form that altered all of the available conventions of dramatic production."
(Nasrullah Mambrol, July 2020)

The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
Called "the greatest French novel in English" and ranked 30th on the Modern Library's list of the 100 best English language novels of the 20th century, the novel is a transitional work, bridging the gap between Victorian realism and modernist experimentation. An unreliable narrator tells the story of a seemingly perfect marriage and its disintegration. Ford's novel is an example of literary impressionism - moving away from a traditional narrative style to an impressionistic narrative, to get at the true nature of the human condition.

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Winner of the 1921 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the novel portrays the struggle between desire, love and duty in nineteenth century New York society. This novel of manners is set in the Gilded Age of Old New York, a time when society people "dreaded scandal more than disease." Wharton writes of the people in this world who "lived in an atmosphere of faint implications and pale delicacies". Her writing explored themes of "social mores and social reform" as they relate to the "extremes and anxieties of the Gilded Age." (Almasa Mulalic, 2012).

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

-Develop close reading skills to analyse a text for meaning
-Understand the social and historical contexts for a deeper appreciation of the texts
-Develop understanding of narrative structure and character development in fiction
-Develop your understanding of dramatic form
-Begin to appreciate playtext to performance
-Develop your presentation skills.

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

This is a course for people who have done some literary or related study before and are interested in further developing their literary skills. You will be willing to listen to and/or join in discussion, and consider the views of others. There will be an opportunity to do a 5 to10 minute seminar presentation on something we have studied on the course, though this is not mandatory.

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

Short introductory lectures on each topic by the tutor, with power point presentations; whole and small group discussion. There will be readings set for each week and questions to consider in preparation for the week’s session.

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

Please buy or borrow:
-Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov
-The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
-The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton.

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

Follow on courses: HLT120 Ways into Advanced Literature: Twentieth Century Readings will be offered in term two; HLT278 Ways into Advanced Literature: Disruptors, Transgressors and Storytellers is in term three. All run on Wednesday 6-7.45 and are taught by the same tutor. Look for other Literature courses under History, Culture and Writing/Literature at www.citylit.ac.uk.

For other literature courses please look at our website under History, Culture and Writing/Literature at www.citylit.ac.uk.