Reading English literature

Teacher(s)

Bragard Véronique; De Bruyn Ben;

Language

English

Prerequisites

Level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages 

Main themes

Paying special attention to relatively accessible literary texts from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, this course introduces the basic analytical tools of the field of literary studies and explains their uses by applying them to various case studies (poems, novels, plays, short stories).  

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	Students will understand basic scientific methods and concepts in the field of literary studies and will be able to analyse a wide range of literary texts in English (poetry, novel, drama, short story).
This learning unit contributes to the development and command of the following skills and learning outcomes of the ELAL programmes: 1.4; 1.5; 2.6.

Content

This course introduces students to the academic study of literary texts in English. As the title indicates, this course enables students to train their linguistic skills by reading texts and excerpts in various genres of literature (poems, novels, plays). At the same time, it explains that its title is far from straightforward, seeing that “reading”, “English”, and "literature" refer to complex, changing phenomena. Reading, for instance, does not only refer to linguistic comprehension and decoding but might also point to academic analysis and hence involves skills and knowledge related to genre, form, context, and various critical frameworks. Preparing students for subsequent courses in literary studies, this course accordingly provides an introduction to 1) theories and practical methods related to the analysis of poetry, the novel, drama, 2) influential critical paradigms (including feminism and postcolonialism), and 3) particular genres or modes of literature such as detective fiction, gothic fiction, and science fiction. Students will also be able to practice their analysis skills via hands-on workshops.

Teaching methods

Lectures, workshops

Evaluation methods

A written exam in which students have to show that they have studied the course materials, read the relevant texts, and are able to analyze and contextualize literary fragments in adequate English.

Online resources

Moodle

Faculty or entity

> ELAL