Module Code and Title:       LIT210 The Evolution of the Novel: From Modernism to Postmodernism

Programme:                          BA in English Studies

Credit Value:                         12

Module Tutor:                       Vanlallawmkimi, Sonam Deki, Yesodha Chauhan

Module Coordinator:            Vanlallawmkimi          

General objective: This module will introduce students to the novel from the early twentieth century to the present day. By the end of the module, students will have a grasp of how the novel continued to evolve during this period. Students will be able to relate the texts studied to broader literary periods and movements, including Modernism, Postmodernism, and Postcolonialism. Students will have close interaction with the prescribed texts to engage in the reflection of the social and cultural influences of these novels.Finally, students will also study and understand notable features of the novel during this period, including stream of consciousness, the unreliable narrator, intertextuality and metafiction. 

Learning outcomes – On completion of this module, learners should be able to:

1. Discuss the social and cultural influences of the prescribed novels.

1. Describe the evolution of the novel from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present.

1. Differentiate the sub-genres of novels in this period.
2. Explain how the novels comment on the periods in which they were produced.
3. Analyse how the periods in question contributed to the production of specific types of novel.

1. Evaluate the political agendas of these novels.

1. Engage in critical and theoretical debates around the novels studied.
2. Make intertextual connections among the prescribed texts on this module, and between the texts in this module and those in The Evolution of the Novel I.

Learning and Teaching Approach:

 Assessment Approach:

A. Written assignment: Portion of Final Marks: 20%

A critical essay of 500-600 words. Students will be expected to compare two novels from the period in question, commenting in detail on content and form, and evaluating the significance of these similarities and differences. The first draft will be worth 5%; improvement on the first draft will be 5%; and the final draft will be worth 10%. Assessment will be based on the ‘Analytical Writing’ rubric.

B. Group project: Portion of Final Mark: 20%

Students will be divided into groups of 4, and each group will be assigned a novel. They will choose one aspect of that novel, which might be a theme, feature of its style, or an element of the plot. They will devise and run close reading activities to illustrate this aspect to the rest of the class. Assessment will be based on the ‘Oral Tasks’ rubric.

C. Class Test: Portion of Final Marks: 10%

A test of 45 minutes will be held within class hours. This will test students' knowledge and understanding of the texts, as well as their ability to identify key features of the sub-genres and movements covered in the module.

D. Class participation and preparedness: Portion of Final Mark: 10%

Students will be expected to participate substantially in class discussions, with contributions reflecting adequate preparation for topics under discussion. Assessment will be based on the ‘Participation and Preparedness’ rubric.

E. Midterm Examination: Portion of Final Mark: 10%

Students will take a written exam of 1.5 hr duration covering topics up to the mid-point of the semester.

Pre-requisites: LIT207 The Evolution of the Novel: From Origins to Realism

Subject matter:

1. Modernism: Close reading and analysis of Dalloway
   • Historical and Scientific Context
     • Features of modernity
     • The impact of World War I, ‘shell shock’ and the representation of Septimus Smith
   • Brief introduction to modernist narrative
     • Fragmentation
     • Subjectivity and interiority
     • The influence of psychoanalysis
     • Stream of consciousness and interior monologue
   • Narrative technique
     • Woolf's use of ‘baton-passing’ stream of consciousness
     • Woolf’s representation of trauma

1. Race and politics in the novel: Close reading and analysis of Invisible Man
   • Social and historical context
     • Race relations in America; The Jim Crow laws and segregation
     • The civil rights movement
     • Consumerism in post-war America
   • Narrative technique
     • The unreliable narrator
     • Tradition of the black vernacular
     • Use of African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) in Invisible Man

1. The Postcolonial novel: Close reading and analysis of The Interpreters
   • Social and historical context
     • Nigeria-in-transition in early 1960
     • Conflict between the new and the traditional values
     • Brief introduction to postcolonial writing
   • Narrative technique
     • Exploratory Narrative Technique with shifting actions
     • Use of Oral traditions and Language from the Colonial Past
     • Use of Humour in the Context of Racial Bigotry

1. The Postmodern Novel: Close reading and analysis of The Inheritance of Loss:
   • Social-Historical context
     • Experiences of Cross-ethnic Diaspora
     • Global capitalism and Cosmopolitanism
     • Minority struggle for Recognition
   • Narrative technique
     • Use of Fragmentary Structure
     • Narrative shift across time and space
     • Points of View- of Two major characters

Reading List:

1. Essential Reading
   • Desai, Kiran. (2006) Inheritance of Loss. Penguin Books India.
   • Ellison, R. (2007). Invisible Man (1952). Penguin Books.
   • Soyinka, Wole. (1996). The Interpreters (1965). Trafalgar Square.
   • Woolf, V. (2004). Mrs. Dalloway. New Delhi: UBS Publishers' Distributors (P) Ltd.
2. Additional Reading
   • Bakhtin, M. M. (1981). ‘Discourse in the novel’ and ‘Epic and novel’ in The Dialogic Imagination. The University of Texas Press.
   • Miller, J. H. (2011). On literature; The conflagration of community: fiction before and after Auschwitz. The University of Chicago Press.
   • Waugh, P. (1984). Metafiction: The Theory and Practice of Self-Conscious Fiction. Routelage.

Date: December 20, 2015