An Introduction to Scottish Literature: The Literature of Edinburgh (20 credit points)

Pre-requisites for enrolment

None.

Content of Course

 

1.  Introductory session.

2 / 3. RLS: Jekyll and Hyde.

4. Robert Burns: ‘To a Mouse’, ‘Holy Willie’s Prayer’, ‘A man’s a man’.

5. Preparation for close reading exercise.

6. Wilfred Owen: ‘Mental Cases, ‘Dulce et Decorum est’ and Siegfried Sassoon: ‘Base Details’ and ‘Survivors’.

7 / 8. Kate Atkinson: Case Histories.

9 / 10. Sue Glover: Bondagers.

11 / 12. Muriel Spark, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

13 / 14. Examination of key 20thC Scottish writers, especially poets (such as Norman MacCaig, Sorely Maclean) who shaped and influenced the literary scene in Edinburgh and beyond.

15. Preparation for close reading exercise.

16 / 17. Gregory Burke: Black Watch.

18 / 19. Irvine Welsh: Trainspotting.

20. Course roundup and essay preparation workshop.

Teaching method(s)

Mid-way through each term, students will be introduced to close-reading exercises, during which they will be offered guidance on literary terminology and devices. Throughout the course, both in formative and summative assessment and also in group discussion, students will be encouraged to identify literary devices and refer to them using recognised literary terminology, so as to develop an academic vocabulary. The course will be taught in a small seminar setting, where participation will be supported and encouraged.

Learning outcomes

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

• Evaluate, compare and contrast a wide range of texts, demonstrating knowledge of Edinburgh's linguistic, literary, cultural and socio-political contexts;

• Analyse literary texts by applying close reading techniques and referring to recognised literary terminology to illustrate arguments;

• Construct, present and evaluate arguments coherently by assessing, analysing and responding to secondary reading;

• Analyse contemporary responses and reactions to texts by evaluating and assessing ideas from non-literary texts such as letters, criticism or journalism;

Sources

Core Readings

Essential:

• Stevenson, Robert Louis., 2008. Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Tales. Oxford: Oxford World Classics.

• Atkinson, Kate., 2011. Case Histories. London: Black Swan.

• Glover, Sue. 2005. Bondagers and The Straw Chair. London: Methuen.

• Spark, Muriel., 2000. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

• Burke, Gregory., 2007. Black Watch. London: Faber.

• Welsh, Irvine., 2013. Trainspotting. London: Vintage.

Recommended:

• Mullan, John, 2008. How Novels Work OUP, Oxford.

• Wallace, Gavin and Stevenson, Randall, eds., 1993. The Scottish Novel Since the 1970s. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

• Stevenson, Robert Louis (2003) Stevenson's Scotland Edinburgh, Mercat Press.

• Skoblow, Jeffrey, 2001 Dooble Tongue: Scots, Burns, Contradiction. Newark: University of Delaware Press.

• Roberts, David, 1996. Minds at War: The Poetry and Experience of the First World War. Burgess Hill: Saxon Books.

• Stephen, Martin, 1996. The Price of Pity: Poetry, History and Myth in the Great War. London: Leo Cooper.

• Barker, Pat, 2008. Regeneration. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

• Priestman, Martin ed. 2003 The Cambridge Companion to Detective Fiction. CUP, Cambridge.

• Scaggs, John. 2005 Crime Fiction. Routledge, London.

• Rennison, N., 2005. Contemporary British novelists. London: Routledge.

• Brown, I., 2011. The Edinburgh Companion to Scottish Drama, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

• Gardiner, Michael and Maley, Willy. eds., 2010. The Edinburgh Companion to Muriel Spark. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

• McGuire, M. & Nicholson, C., 2009. The Edinburgh Companion to Contemporary Scottish Poetry, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

• Robinson, R., 2012. The National Theatre of Scotland's Black Watch. Contemporary Theatre Review, 22(3), pp. 392¿399.

• Morace, Robert, 2001. Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting: A Reader's Guide. London: Continuum.

Class Handouts

Poetry to be provided as pdf handouts.

Assessments

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.

Studying for Credit

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.

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.