Module description
The 20th and early 21st centuries have seen the meteoric rise of literature from countries outside of the ‘traditional’ literary canon. ‘World literature’ - as it is often called today - develops locally but is circulated amongst a global readership.
Although the discipline of world literature has tended to focus on the study of the novel, this does not reflect the diversity of global literary and cultural production. Understudied genres, including poetry, the short story, and the graphic novel, have a great deal to offer to the discussion of recurrent themes of world literature. Genres such as film and song, along with non-fictional narrative forms such as autobiography, reportage, and the political manifesto, also have their own distinct strategies of artistic and political intervention.
This module explores the work of a selection of writers from Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific, and the Middle East, and deploys theories of postcolonial and world literature to illuminate it. Examining a range of genres, from the widely circulated (such as film and song) to the more specialised (such as poetry, graphic novels and reportage), we will ask questions about the kinds of aesthetic and ideological work that these genres do in relation to different geographical and cultural sites. We will think about the affinities and oppositions between these genres, and we will consider how certain genres of world literature became conventional and popular.
Assessment details
1 x 1,000 word critical review (15%); 1 x 3,000 word essay (85%)
Educational aims & objectives
This module explores world literature across a range of genres including poetry, drama, short stories, film, song, and graphic novels. Examining works from Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific, and the Middle East, students will have the opportunity to consider the impact that different genres can have, and to deploy theories of postcolonial and world literature in order to analyse these works.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students will be able to demonstrate intellectual, transferable and practical skills appropriate to a Level 4 module and in particular will be able to:
- Demonstrate a broad understanding of world literature and the variety of forms it may take.
- Identify principles and concepts underlying theories of postcolonial and world literature.
- Evaluate these theories, identifying their strengths and weaknesses.
- Consider the impact that a work’s genre may have on the way that it is received.
- Select a well-defined focus for enquiry, and deploy appropriate investigative strategies to explore this.
Teaching pattern
One hour lecture and seminar, weekly
Suggested reading list
The following books provide a good introduction to some of the themes of this module:
- Dohra Ahmad, Rotten English: A Literary Anthology. New York & London: W.W. Norton, 2007.
- David Damrosch, What is World Literature? Princeton & Oxford: Princeton University Press.