University of Essex

LT182-4-AU-CO:
Text Up Close: Reading for Criticism

The details

Year: 2023/24

Department: Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies

Campus: Colchester Campus

Term: Autumn

Level: Undergraduate: Level 4

Status: Current

Start date: Thursday 05 October 2023

End date: Friday 15 December 2023

Credits: 15

Last updated: 09 May 2023

Requisites for this module

Pre-requisites: (none)

Co-requisites: (none)

Pre and / or co-requisites: (none)

Prohibited modules: (none)

Key module (requisite for): (none)

Key module for

BA W800 Creative Writing,
BA W801 Creative Writing (Including Year Abroad),
BA W803 Creative Writing (Including Placement Year),
BA W808 Creative Writing (Including Foundation Year),
MLITQ392 Creative Writing,
BA QT37 English and United States Literature (Including Year Abroad),
BA T720 English and United States Literature,
BA T723 English and United States Literature (Including Placement Year),
BA T728 English and United States Literature (Including Foundation Year),
BA Q300 English Literature,
BA Q303 English Literature (Including Placement Year),
BA Q320 English Literature (Including Foundation Year),
BA Q321 English Literature (Including Year Abroad),
BA PQ32 Film Studies and Literature (Including Year Abroad),
BA PQ38 Film Studies and Literature (Including Foundation Year),
BA QW26 Film Studies and Literature,
BA QW27 Film Studies and Literature (Including Placement Year),
MLITQ391 Literature,
BA QW30 Literature and Creative Writing,
BA QW31 Literature and Creative Writing (Including Year Abroad),
BA QW33 Literature and Creative Writing (Including Placement Year),
BA QW38 Literature and Creative Writing (Including Foundation Year),
MLITQ393 Literature and Creative Writing,
BA Q210 English and Comparative Literature,
BA Q211 English and Comparative Literature (Including Year Abroad),
BA Q212 English and Comparative Literature (Including Placement Year),
BA Q218 English and Comparative Literature (Including Foundation Year),
BA P530 Journalism and Literature,
BA P531 Journalism and Literature (Including Placement Year),
BA P532 Journalism and Literature (Including Year Abroad)

Module description

The focus of this module is to hone and practise the foundational critical skills that will underpin the rest of your literary studies: firstly, that of analysing a text 'up-close', and in forensic detail; and secondly, using that material as evidence in an argument, which is an essential component of essay-writing, or to better comprehend and explain the construction of a given piece of writing which is crucial to any creative writer.

This module will enable you to develop your critical skills through close textual analysis. It will help you develop a critical toolkit for interpreting texts, provide you with technical vocabulary and ultimately give you invaluable expertise for the study of novels, poems, plays, films and journalism.

Module aims

The aim of the module is to provide you with skills to analyse a piece of text and to offer a critical reflection on its contents.
It will encourage you to reflect consciously and critically on the processes that we all engage in every time we read a book, poem, essay or article or watch a play or a film.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module, you will be expected to:

1. Have developed your critical skills and expanded your technical vocabulary for analysing and discussing literature

2. Have acquired and practised foundational critical skills for literary and textual study and analysis.

Module information

No additional information available.

Learning and teaching methods

Anticipated teaching delivery: Weekly 2-hour online seminar

Bibliography

Foster, T. (2014) ‘Introduction’, in How to Read Literature Like a Professor. New York: Harper Perennial. Available at: https://archive.org/details/4857484737364HowToReadLiteratureLikeAProfessor2nd/page/n11/mode/2up.
Prose, F. (no date) ‘Close Reading: Learning to Write by Learning to Read’, The Atlantic [Preprint]. Available at: https://advance.lexis.com/api/permalink/0acc55e7-84c6-4424-852e-816644e9831f/?context=1519360&federationidp=B2G4XJ59150.
Bennett, A. and Royle, N. (2023) ‘Readers and Reading’, in An introduction to literature, criticism and theory. Sixth edition. Abingdon: Routledge. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/2223672.
Richards, I.A. (1959) ‘The Phantom Aesthetic State’, in Principles of literary criticism. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, pp. 12–13. Available at: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.170976/page/n21/mode/2up.
Rimmon-Kenan, S. (2002) ‘Story: Events’, in Narrative Fiction: Contemporary Poetics. 2nd edition. London: Routledge, pp. 7–9, 15–21. Available at: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lkh&AN=17442747&site=ehost-live.
Mullan, J. (2006) ‘Style’, in How novels work. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 216–233.
Baldick, C. (2015) Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. 4th Revised edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Available at: https://www-oxfordreference-com.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/display/10.1093/acref/9780198715443.001.0001/acref-9780198715443.
Hurston, Z.N., Smith, Z. and Williams, S.A. (2018) Their eyes were watching God. London: Virago Press.
Young, T. (2008c) ‘Essays’, in Studying English Literature: A Practical Guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 79–89. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/237686.
Young, T. (2008d) ‘Sentences’, in Studying English Literature: A Practical Guide. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, pp. 121–126. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/237686.
Rimmon-Kenan, S. (no date) ‘Story: Characters’, in Narrative Fiction: Contemporary Poetics. 2nd edition. London: Routledge, pp. 31–44. Available at: https://www-taylorfrancis-com.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/chapters/mono/10.4324/9780203426111-10/story-characters-shlomith-rimmon-kenan?context=ubx&refId=3fd412c8-a23b-4fa6-bc75-7127d7f23348.
Levin, P. (2009) ‘Thinking it through: The importance of methodology’, in Write great essays! 2nd ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press, pp. 85–87. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/reader.action?docID=487786&ppg=104.
Young, T. (2008b) ‘“Argument: The folded paper” and “Argument: What is rhetoric?”’, in Studying English Literature: A Practical Guide. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, pp. 54–61. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/237686.
Bennett, A. and Royle, N. (2015) ‘Reading a Short Story’, in This Thing Called Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. Abingdon: Routledge. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/reader.action?docID=1974237&ppg=34.

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

Coursework / exam	Description	Coursework weighting
Coursework	Participation	5%
Coursework	Formative: Close analysis of one of TWO extracts (700-1000 words)	0%
Coursework	Essay Plan (500 - 750 words)	30%
Coursework	Essay (1,500 words)	65%

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

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Reassessment

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Module supervisor and teaching staff

Supervisor: Prof Elizabeth Kuti, email: ejkuti@essex.ac.uk.

Teaching staff: Various

Contact details: LiFTS General Office - email liftstt@essex.ac.uk. Telephone 01206 872626

Availability

Available to incoming Essex Abroad / Exchange students: Yes

Available to Outside Option: No

Available to Audit: Yes

External examiner

Name: Dr Doug Haynes

Institution: University of Sussex

Academic role: Reader in American Literature and Visual Culture

Resources

Teaching materials: Available via Moodle

Lecture recording: Of 40 hours, 40 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.

Further information

Department website: Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies

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Module Directory

LT182-4-AU-CO:Text Up Close: Reading for Criticism