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Literature and Theatre

The Contemporary American Novel

Course Times & Enrolment

(Code LI266-201) • (0 classes) Course location to be confirmed •
Sorry, this course is cancelled

Course Summary

This course explores the varied landscape of contemporary American fiction, seeking to showcase representative works and achieve a balance between innovative prose and good traditional storytelling. The novels we study will be an opportunity to meet important American writers of today and recent past, study their ideas, their style and the various ways in which they relate to contemporary American society, moral dilemmas and the literary tradition.

Course Details

Pre-requisites for enrolment

No prerequisites.

Content of Course

1. Jen, Gish. Mona in the Promised Land (1996)

2. Wolff, Tobias. Old School (2003)

3. Morrison, Toni. A Mercy (2008)

4. Robinson, Marilynne. Lila (2014)

5. Lerner, Ben. 10:04 (2014)

Teaching method(s)

Lecture and discussion.

Learning outcomes

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

  • Understand the textual strategies of contemporary fiction;

  • Assess the intellectual interactions between American novelists and the history and politics of the US;

  • Form an awareness of the literary innovations in the fiction of the past decades.

Sources

Core Readings

  • Jen, Gish. Mona in the Promised Land (1996). Granta, 1997.

  • Wolff, Tobias. Old School (2003). Bloomsbury, 2004.

  • Morrison, Toni. A Mercy (2008). Vintage, 2009.

  • Robinson, Marilynne. Lila (2014). Virago, 2014.

  • Lerner, Ben. 10:04 (2014). Granta, 2014.

Web Sources

Relevant web resources on the authors will be made available each week. 

Class Handouts

Handouts will be provided as PDFs each week.

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.