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Some of the finest twentieth-century literature stems from the 1930s. Economic turbulence, the rise of Fascism, the international Communist movement, the Spanish Civil War – all of these provide a great backdrop for some intensely humane responses to the troubles of the age ranging from the political to the spiritual, and from the sardonic to the just plain hilarious. Texts to be studied include Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms, Waugh's Scoop, Brecht's Mother Courage, short stories by Orwell, and poetry by Auden, Yeats and Eliot.
The reading of the set texts is essential.
1. Purging painful memories of the First World War: Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms (1929).
2. Uncovering sexual and political transgression in 30s America: Lillian Hellman, The Children’s Hour (1934).
3. Doing the ‘dirty work of empire’: George Orwell, Shooting an Elephant and other essays (1936).
4. Spanish Civil War writing: WH Auden, poetry of the 30s.
5. Repression and autocracy: Federico Garcia Lorca, The House of Bernarda Alba (1936).
6. ‘We were the last Romantics’: WB Yeats, late poems.
7. The struggle for spiritual equilibrium: TS Eliot, Four Quartets (1936-42).
8. The evils of tabloid journalism: Evelyn Waugh, Scoop (1938).
9. The horrors of war: Bertolt Brecht, Mother Courage (1939).
2-hour discussion-based seminars. All the texts are available over the Internet in large print. The reading of the set texts is essential.
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
Describe the diverse genres of 1930s literature;
Explain the special concerns of the age;
Apply techniques of literary analysis to the works.
Essential:
Brecht, Bertolt. 1983. Mother Courage London: Methuen Drama
Eliot, TS 2002. Collected Poems London: Faber & Faber
Hellman, Lillian .2010., The Children’s Hour Whitefish, Montana: Kessinger
Hemingway, Ernest .1994. A Farewell to Arms New York: Arrow
Lorca, Federico Garcia 1998. The House of Bernarda Alba London: Methuen Drama
Orwell, George .2009. Shooting an Elephant London: Penguin
Waugh, Evelyn. 2003. Scoop London: Penguin Handouts for Auden and Yeats will be provided.
Recommended:
Hynes, Samuel .1979. The Auden Generation: Literature and Politics in England in the 1930s London: Faber & Faber
Levenson , Michael (ed.).2011. The Cambridge Companion to Modernism Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
https://campuspress.yale.edu/modernismlab
Yale University’s Modernism Lab
Key texts and Powerpoint presentations.
10 credit courses have one assessment. Normally, the assessment is a 2000 word essay, worth 100% of the total mark, submitted by week 12. To pass, students must achieve a minimum of 40%. There are a small number of exceptions to this model which are identified in the Studying for Credit Guide.
If you choose to study for credit you will need to allocate significant time outwith classes for coursework and assessment preparation. Credit points gained from this course can count towards the Certificate of Higher Education.
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.
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.