| Unit name | Tradition and Experimentation in Twentieth-Century European Fiction |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MODLM2034 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Vilain |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Modern Languages |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This core unit in the MA programme in European Literature explores the challenge to the norms and conventions of the realist novel that underlies the evolution of much 20th-century European narrative. It will concentrate on experimental subversion and expansion of the contours of the classical novel, but will also consider more overtly traditionalist approaches to the revitalisation of the genre. The unit will be team-taught by specialists in several major literatures. Precise choice of texts will vary from year to year, but landmark works from the European tradition will be selected so as to enable maximally fruitful comparison of formal features and thematic preoccupations. The unit will evaluate a variety of critical approaches to prose fiction and literary dynamics. Emphasis will be placed on comparison and contrast of specific social, ideological and aesthetic contexts within different European cultures, with particular attention to the narrative strategies which shaped the development of 20th-century fictional forms.
