Literature

Spring Term: January 2012 - March 2012
Summer Term: April 2012 - June 2012

 

Not Just the Booker Prize: Contemporary Fiction in 2011
Over 1,000 fiction titles are published in the UK each and every year. We have literary prizes aplenty: but how good are these prize winners? Do they really represent the ‘best books’ of the year? Is there a difference between ‘popular’ and ‘literary’ fiction? Do we need prizes at all? We will read, discuss and judge for ourselves the winners of six literary prizes: the Booker Prize, the Orange Prize, the Desmond Elliot Prize, the IMPAC Prize for International Fiction, the James Tait Black and the Costa Best Novel Award. We will also read the best-selling adult paperback fiction title of the year. Teaching will be in the form of guided discussions and students will be encouraged to share their own insights, opinions and tastes. The only necessary qualification is a willingness to read and discuss the seven novels. Details of most of the set novels will be made available from October 2011, and the class will be structured so as to provide the maximum amount of time to read each one.
Rob O’Connor BA CTLLS
Term: Spring
Day: Monday
Start Date: 23 January 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50

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How Literature Can Save Your Life
In an increasingly pressured, fragmented and demanding world, it’s easy to overlook an obvious source of comfort and pleasure: literature. A good book can be a source not just of entertainment, but of reassurance, understanding and humanity that helps readers understand the world and offers insight into their own situation. Literature can be ‘good to think with’ and offer as much peace of mind and heart as stimulation and excitement. This course will explore not only the pleasure but the therapeutic qualities of good literature, its address to the human condition and the guidance and inspiration it can offer in making sense of life. No previous experience is necessary but a delight in reading (or the desire to acquire it) and willingness to discuss ideas are an advantage.
Helen Bullock BA MA
Term: Spring
Day: Tuesday
Start Date: 24 January 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50

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The Many Faces of Arthur: Arthurian Legend through the Ages
The legends of King Arthur have exerted a strange fascination for generations. The Court of Camelot, the Knights of the Round Table and the quest for the grail still have the power to inspire today. But where did these myths begin? And why are they so enduring? This course considers the ways in which each generation has appropriated Arthur, examining the texts and contexts from the origins of Arthurian legend, following the re-workings through the ages to the present day. The course uses a variety of sources, ranging from Geoffrey of Monmouth to Monty Python, to explore the history and reinvention of Arthurian myths.
Alice Bennett BA MA MPhil
Term: Spring
Day: Tuesday
Start Date: 24 January 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50

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The Golden Age of Children’s Literature
The Victorian and Edwardian eras saw an explosion of literature created for children and produced many enduring classics which remain popular today. But why then? Who wrote these classics and why? This course addresses the different strands of children’s literature emerging during this period and asks why this age produced so many well-loved staples of childhood. Although these works are now considered cosy classics, at the time, many texts were radical in their approach and content. This course will examine the motivation and ideology of works by Charles Kingsley, Louisa May Alcott and George MacDonald, amongst others. Other sessions will explore the reworking and composition of fairytales, the nonsense worlds of Carroll and Lear and the inspiration of the past, in rewriting history and literary classics for children, as in the works of Henty, Ballantyne and the Lambs. This course will put some of these beloved classics in cultural context and explore their enduring charm.
Alice Bennett BA MA MPhil
Term: Spring
Day: Wednesday
Start Date: 25 January 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50

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The English Detective
Never mind all that American noir and Scandinavian gloom; England can claim some of the finest detective fiction written and a long history in this intriguing and stimulating literary form. From Wilkie Collins to Marple and Dalgliesh, Resnick and Banks, the English express contemporary ideas of morals, mercy, japes and justice in whodunits that are as much about the detective as the detecting. This course will look at some of the prime suspects in the canon of English detection, their social and historical context and their contribution to the genre, including works by Conan Doyle, Christie, Tey, Dexter, Harvey, Robinson and Cleeves. It will also explore why crime remains so popular with the English and why the English are so good at it.
Helen Bullock BA MA
Term: Spring
Day: Thursday
Start Date: 26 January 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50

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Summer Term: April 2012 - June 2012

 

The Growth of Fantasy Literature
Fantasy has always been an integral part of literature. The ability to imagine fantastical worlds dates back to the times of oral storytelling. Fairytales and legends have inspired many of the great literary works, from Stoker’s Dracula to Carter’s The Bloody Chamber. In the 20th Century fantasy literature grew from its roots in fairytales to becoming part of modern popular culture. Through examination of literary works, students will explore the growth of this popular genre and assess its position within the contemporary mainstream.
Rob O’Connor BA CTLLS
Term: Summer
Day: Monday
Start Date: 23 April 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 10
Full fee: £67.00

Unfortunately this course has been cancelled

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Children’s Literature from the Second Golden Age
If the Edwardians set the standard for a Golden Age in children’s literature, then writers from the mid-20th Century were more than capable of recreating an age of delightful and well-loved children’s books where the moral and social world was full of expectations of class and gender, which could be read clearly and where children were expected to take up individual as well as social responsibilities. From Blyton and Dyer’s series of adventuring children and the ambitions of Ballet Shoes to the delightful subversions of Just William and the freedoms of Swallows and Amazons, children were offered a cultural code that emphasised self-reliance, independence, responsibility and self-belief. What did this say about the grown-ups and both children’s and adults’ expectations of the world? The cultural impact of these stories will be explored in their historical context but first and foremost the course sets out to have a jolly good read! No previous knowledge required.
Helen Bullock BA MA
Term: Summer
Day: Tuesday
Start Date: 24 April 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 10
Full fee: £67.00

Unfortunately this course has been cancelled

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William Blake
This course will offer a thorough introduction to the poetry, art and thought of William Blake. We will read Blake as he ought to be read, always with visual art accompanying the written word. Beginning with Blake’s most famous lyric, ‘And did those feet in ancient times’, taking this to succinctly epitomise his grander vision, we will aim to tease out the depths and implications of Blake’s artistic, philosophical and religious preoccupations, as these are developed from the early Songs of Innocence and Experience to the later Prophetic Books. Paying due attention to Blake’s predecessors and contemporaries, we will also reflect upon his legacy and influence since his death. We will explore how Blake, unduly neglected then as now, is one of our greatest voices and one that can speak with great urgency to our modern concerns.
Daniel Gustafsson BA MA
Term: Summer
Day: Thursday
Start Date: 26 April 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 10
Full fee: £67.00

Unfortunately this course has been cancelled

Last Updated: April 19, 2012 | Iain Barr (ijb3@york.ac.uk)

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