Fiction from New Europe

Pre-requisites for enrolment

No previous knowledge is required.

Content of Course

1. Introduction

2. Ulrich Plenzdorf - The New Sorrows of Young W.

3. Bohumil Hrabal - The Little Town Where Time Stood Still

4. Ismail Kadare - A Girl in Exile

5. Ioana Pârvulescu - Life Begins on Friday

Teaching method(s)

Discussion based classes, with a short introductory lecture in every session.

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 literary style;

• Demonstrate a good general understanding of the development of the East European novel in the twentieth century;

• Gain some understanding of the social, political and cultural contexts (largely Communist, but also pre- and post-Communist) in which Central and East European literature has developed;

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

Sources

Core Readings

• Plenzdorf, Ulrich, 2018. The New Sorrows of Young W. London: Pushkin Press

• Hrabal,  Bohumil, 2017. The Little Town Where Time Stood Still. London;  Penguin

• Kadare, Ismail, 2017. A Girl in Exile. London: Vintage

• Pârvulescu, Ioana, 2016. Life Begins on Friday. London: Istros Books

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 COL@ed.ac.uk 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.