LT248-5-AU-CO:
Modernism
2023/24
Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 5
ReassessmentOnly
Thursday 05 October 2023
Friday 15 December 2023
15
18 March 2022
Requisites for this module
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This module offers a varied, wide-ranging introduction to the literature of the modernist period, beginning in the late nineteenth century and extending through to the early 1950s. Modernist literature is defined by its emphasis on innovation and experimentation in both form and content.
Modernist authors wrote from out of a widespread sense that the world they inhabited was undergoing profound and unprecedented change, and that literature would need to adapt to the unique circumstances of the early twentieth century if it was to continue to speak to modern readers. One way in which they did this was to write on subjects which had been neglected or ignored by previous generations of writers, or which had been considered unsuitable for treatment in high culture.
Another modernist strategy was to create entirely new literary styles and modes of expression, often characterised by striking departures from familiar patterns of language use. By the 1950s, it was clear to most observers that the literature of the preceding decades represented a pivotal event in the history of literature – one which scholars, critics, and readers are still coming to terms with today.
This module includes examples of each of the various genres in which modernist authors worked – short stories, novellas, novels, plays, and poems of varying lengths – and draws on an array of national and cultural traditions, including work by authors of British, Irish, Czech, New Zealand, Indian, and U.S. origin. Among the main issues and themes with which the modernists were concerned, the module addresses the alienation and fragmentation of modern society, the angst of the lone individual, empire and imperialism, nationhood and nationalism, the phenomenon of the 'death of God', the changing status of the figure of the artist, a spirit of radical experimentalism in the arts, shifts in gender relations, the emergence of a nascent queer consciousness, economic and financial upheavals, two devastating world wars, and the impact of new technologies and social structures.
This module aims to foster students’ critical thinking and cultural awareness by inviting them to consider how a diverse group of writers, artists, and intellectuals initiated a period of dynamic innovation and experimentation in twentieth-century culture. Through a close consideration of nine key examples of modernist literature and their contexts, students will reflect on what these texts can teach us about art, culture, society, politics, race, gender, and sexuality in the period from the late nineteenth century through to the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. Students will acquire or deepen their knowledge of a range of texts, from established classics such as T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land (1922) and Franz Kafka’s The Trial (1925) to less widely read works of modernism such as Wallace Thurman’s Infants of the Spring (1932) and H. D.’s Trilogy (1944–46).
After successful completion of the module, students should be able to:
1. display a detailed knowledge of a representative range of key modernist authors and texts;
2. demonstrate an awareness of the cultural and historical context in which modernist literature emerged;
3. evaluate and theorize the immediate impact and longer-term implications of modernism for modern culture;
4. demonstrate the knowledge and skills required to engage in intellectual debates around modernist literature;
5. plan, research, and write a critical essay.
No additional information available.
Anticipated teaching delivery: Weekly 2-hour class
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
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Description |
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| Coursework |
Written Assignment (TRAILING REASSESSMENT) |
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Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Sean Seeger, email: saseeg@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Sean Seeger
LiFTS General Office – email liftstt@essex.ac.uk
Tel 01206 87 2626
Yes
No
Yes
Dr Doug Haynes
University of Sussex
Reader in American Literature and Visual Culture
Available via Moodle
Of 511 hours, 0 (0%) hours available to students:
511 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
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