Module Details

The information contained in this module specification was correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change, either during the session because of unforeseen circumstances, or following review of the module at the end of the session. Queries about the module should be directed to the member of staff with responsibility for the module.
Title MODERN AMERICAN FICTION
Code ENGL331
Coordinator Dr DM Hering
English
D.Hering@liverpool.ac.uk
Year CATS Level Semester CATS Value
Session 2018-19 Level 6 FHEQ Second Semester 30

Aims

The aim of the module is to survey a cross-section of American fiction from c.1920 to the early 21st century. It follows a roughly chronological sequence and sets out to reveal the thematic concerns and narrative modes linking different works in this area. We shall be considering these writers'' treatment of ethnic minorities, rural displacement, technological progress and particularly shall be concentrating on their stance towards America. In the course of discussions the module also aims to develop a vocabulary for the critical analysis of this fiction.


Learning Outcomes

On completing this module students will have:

- acquired a knowledge and understanding of a range of twentieth and twenty-first-century American fiction

- developed a vocabulary for the critical analysis of this literature
- gained an appreciation of the historical and cultural contexts in which this literature was produced
- gained an appreciation of the place of this literature within the traditions of literature in English

Syllabus

1

Topics and themes typically include:

American Modernism (Hemingway, Faulkner, etc.)

African American fiction (Ellison, Walker, etc.).

Pioneer narratives

Americans in Europe

Epics of the Road

Digital America

American Metafiction

America and visual art/cinema


Teaching and Learning Strategies

Lecture - 1x1hr lecture

Lectures introduce key themes and perspectives. One 1 hour lecture per week

Seminar - 1x2hr seminar


Teaching Schedule

  Lectures Seminars Tutorials Lab Practicals Fieldwork Placement Other TOTAL
Study Hours 12
1x1hr lecture
24
1x2hr seminar
        36
Timetable (if known) Lectures introduce key themes and perspectives. One 1 hour lecture per week
 
           
Private Study 264
TOTAL HOURS 300

Assessment

EXAM Duration Timing
(Semester)
% of
final
mark
Resit/resubmission
opportunity
Penalty for late
submission
Notes
Unseen Written Exam  3 hours  50  Yes  Standard UoL penalty applies  Assessment 2 Notes (applying to all assessments) Written project of c.4,000 words One two-question written examination, 3 hours  
CONTINUOUS Duration Timing
(Semester)
% of
final
mark
Resit/resubmission
opportunity
Penalty for late
submission
Notes
Coursework  4,000 words  50  No reassessment opportunity  Standard UoL penalty applies  Assessment 1 There is no reassessment opportunity,  

Recommended Texts

Reading lists are managed at readinglists.liverpool.ac.uk. Click here to access the reading lists for this module.
Explanation of Reading List:

Willa Cather, My Antonia

Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell To Arms

Nella Larsen, Passing

Djuna Barnes, Nightwood

F Scott Fitzgerald, Tender is the Night (Important: there are 2 versions of this novel in print. Use the version which begins "On the pleasant shore of the French Riviera...")

Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita

Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

David Foster Wallace, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men

Toni Morrison, Beloved

Jennifer Egan, A Visit from the Goon Squad