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Literature and Theatre

Fiction from Five Continents

Course Times & Enrolment

This course is currently unavailable.

Course Summary

We shall travel around the world of fiction and examine story-telling traditions and narrative strategies that find echoes over ages and continents. From Australasia to Africa, we shall read stories of love and war and tread the fine line between reality and dreams.

Course Details

Pre-requisites for enrolment

No prior knowledge required although reading of the set texts is essential.

Content of Course

Introduction

Edith Wharton - Ethan Frome

Katherine Mansfield - Selected Stories

Sabahattin Ali - Madonna in a Fur Coat

Kobo Abe - The Woman in the Dunes 1

Kobo Abe - The Woman in the Dunes 2

Julio Cortázar – Bestiary 1

Julio Cortázar – Bestiary 2

Maryse Condé – Segu 1

Maryse Condé – Segu 2

Teaching method(s)

Lecture based with class discussion.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

  • Engage critically with fictional texts, describe and analyse themes and techniques and deliver the results in a lucid and articulate style;

  • Demonstrate a good general understanding of different narrative strategies and storytelling traditions and the ways they inform each other;

  • Explain the social, political and cultural context in which the texts were created;

  • Discuss the degree to which literature, and popular culture in general, are influenced by politics and ideology.

Sources

Core Readings

  • Wharton, Edith, 2008. Ethan Frome. Oxford: Oxford World's Classics

  • Mansfield, Katherine, 2008. Selected Stories. Oxford: Oxford World's Classics

  • Sabahattin Ali. 2017. Madonna in a Fur Coat. London: Penguin Modern Classics

  • Abe, Kobo. 2006. The Woman in the Dunes. London: Penguin Modern Classics

  • Cortázar, Julio. 2020. Bestiary. London: Vintage Classics

  • Condé, Maryse. 2017. Segu. London: Penguin Modern Classics

Class Handouts

Handouts will be provided.

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.