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ENGL 100: English Literature

This course introduces you to some of the most vital debates in an English literary tradition that is constantly being rewritten and challenged, especially in the multicultural, postmodern era of the late twentieth century and beyond.

By concentrating on poetry from the late sixteenth century to the present, you will learn about the rich canonical tradition and how each generation of writers has responded to it. You will consider some explicit rewritings of classic texts (for example, a literary reworking of Hamlet or the Victorian novel or of the narrative of the Fall in the Bible), in order to raise issues about what the canon excludes or occludes. Your study of selected plays, short stories and novels in addition to the poetry will broaden your sense of a literary tradition, and introduce you to the practice of close analytical reading of these genres too.

As you study, the course will introduce you to some major theoretical approaches and instil some of the essential study skills you will need for your undergraduate programme at Lancaster. By the end of this course, you will have read some of the most celebrated texts in the English language, as well as learning about exciting innovations in contemporary literary theory and practical criticism.

Take a look at the reading list for 2012-13.

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