In this module, students will study daring and thought-provoking texts from the early twentieth century to the present day. The extent to which these texts reflect key literary and artistic trends of the period will be discussed (modernism, surrealism, écriture féminine, autofiction). A key focus of the module will be the representation of taboo topics, such as trauma, monstrosity, desire and addiction. Recurrent questions will be: how do these texts play with readers' expectations? What are the risks and challenges involved for authors and artists in 'saying the unsayable' or writing texts that resist interpretation? Students will engage with the visual aspects of texts on the module programme, as well as having the opportunity to evaluate published translations of them. The aim of the module is to foster curiosity and enjoyment in the ability of written and visual texts to challenge and innovate. The module will include a visit to the Barber Institute’s collection of French art.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
Undertake independent research on a writer/topic from the syllabus and communicate the results of that research through written work;
Analyse texts using appropriate critical terminology and with reference to socio-historical, literary and/or artistic context;
Express complex ideas cogently in written form
.
Assessment
34930-01 : Critical Exercise of 2000 words in English : Coursework (50%)
34930-02 : Critical Exercise of 2000 words in English : Coursework (50%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions
Assessment: 2 x Critical Exercise of 2000 words in English (50% each).
Reassessment: No resits are permitted in final year. If students miss the assessed task owing to extenuating circumstances, the failed task would be rescheduled at a later date.