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This course explores the winning novels of five different literary prizes in one year. The criteria for each prize will be explored and we shall evaluate how successfully the winning novels fulfil those criteria, the judging processes and how critics and contemporary readers responded to the winning novels. We shall consider winners of prizes such as the PEN/Faulkner, Pulitzer, National Book Award, Whitbread and the Commonwealth First Novel and evaluate how literary value is ascribed and how much influence ordinary readers might have on the awarding of literary prizes and the influence of commercial value. In the final session, we shall compare all the novels we have read from this year and decide which is our book of the year.
1. The PEN/Faulkner Prize: Public Zeitgeist and personal destruction. Text: Philip Roth: The Human Stain.
2. Whitbread Book of the Year Prize: The first ‘children’s fiction’ winner. Text: Philip Pullman, The Amber Spyglass.
3. Pulitzer Prize: Superheroes are only for comic books? Text: Michael Chabon, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.
4. National Book Award: Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club and elitism. Text: Jonathan Franzen, The Corrections.
5. Commonwealth Best First Book Prize: Multicultural Britain. Text: Zadie Smith, White Teeth.
The course comprises ten two-hour classes plus approx. 80 hours of individual study.
By the end of this course students should be bale to:
Articulate knowledge and understanding of the issues that influence the awarding of literary prizes such as readability, literary value, commercialism and marketing;
Construct original, clear and coherent arguments, using recognised critical terminology and methodologies;
Evaluate, compare and contrast prize-winning fiction of 2006, demonstrating knowledge of linguistic, literary, cultural and political contexts;
Extrapolate, evaluate and assess ideas from non-literary texts such as criticism or journalism in order to bring them to bear on their analyses of prize-winning literary texts;
Esssential:
Roth, Philip., 2001. The Human Stain. London: Vintage.
Pullman, Philip., 2011. The Amber Spyglass: London, Scholastic.
Chabon, Michael., 2008. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. London: Fourth Estate.
Franzen, Jonathan., 2007 The Corrections. London: Fourth Estate.
Smith, Zadie., 2001. White Teeth. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Recommended:
Mullan, John, 2008. How Novels Work. Oxford: OUP.
Taylor, Jonathan, 2003. The Man Booker Prize: 35 years of the best in contemporary fiction. London: The Booker Prize Foundation.
Todd, Richard, 1996. Consuming Fictions: The Booker Prize and Fiction in Britain Today. London: Bloomsbury.
Roberts, Gillian, 2011. Prizing Literature. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
http://www.womensprizeforfiction.co.uk
http://www.costa.co.uk/costa-book-awards/welcome
http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/tait-black/about/book
http://www.commonwealthwriters.org/commonwealth-book-prize
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.