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Module Content and Indicative Topics

How do we read a text? The analysis of all texts begins with the thoughtful speculation that we call critical theory. This course will introduce students to ways of thinking about texts in theory as well as practice. Each week we will look at a literary text alongside analyses of that text by one of more critical theorists. Our readings should propel us into discussions about what we do with texts, what we expect from literature, and what we want from our readings.

The module will cover a range of topics, which may be subject to variation depending on developments in academic research and the interests of the class, including the following:

• Authorship (and readership)
• structuralism
• psychoanalysis
• feminism
• queer theory
• post-colonial theory

Teaching Delivery

Each week, students will attend one teacher-led lecture of one hour and one seminar of one hour, the latter based on discussions between students. Each week, in preparation for the lecture and the seminar, you will be expected to do the assigned readings. Occasionally, you will also be asked to submit a short piece of homework (usually between half a page and a page of a standard Word document). Both the weekly readings and the occasional assignments will help students prepare for the submission of assessed coursework.

By the end of the module, you should have:

• gained a critical understanding of various ways of thinking about texts in theory as well as practice
• become familiar with a range of literary texts alongside analyses of those texts;
• developed skills in identifying and using good quality critical studies to support your intellectual analysis of prescribed topics or problems, and in structuring a sustained and original argument;
• developed the ability to make links and comparisons between and across topics and discuss these links in class and in written assignments.

Recommended Reading

In preparation for the module, we advise reading the following texts. These can be found in the ÐÂÏã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûLibrary:

• Andrew Bennet and Nicholas Royle, An Introduction to Literature, Criticism, and Theory, New York–London, Routledge, 2016
• Terry Eagleton, Literary Theory: An Introduction, especially Introduction and Chapters 3, 4, 5 and Conclusion