Introductory description

This module will take students through some of the canonical and less familiar works of a single author. The module will consider in detail aspects such as important thematic and stylistic aspects of the chosen author’s work, the chronological development of their writing practice, and their relationship to key historical and literary contexts, as well as assessing trends in the critical and cultural reception of the author’s work. The author studied will change each year, dependent on the research specialisms of the convenor, as will the mode in which you engage with that author’s works across the term. The module would be particularly useful to students doing or considering a dissertation or further study, but will also be of interest generally for its focused exploration.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

The author to be studied will be determined by the convenor for the academic year which will change frequently and be advertised at the module fair. The module will have weekly deep-dives into various aspect of the topic.

Sample - over the course of the module we will examine a range of work by this author, such as fictional work, screenplays, their non-fiction essays, as well as the biographical and cultural formation of the author.

Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: early experiments
Week 3: early novel
Week 4: novella and film adaptation
Week 5: Non-fiction Essays
READING WEEK
Week 7: short stories
Week 8: later novels
Week 9: posthumous texts
Week 10: Biographical account of author

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Develop a strong understanding of how a single author shapes and reshapes their work over time
• Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of theoretical debates about authorship and their cultural impact
• Demonstrate strong proficiencies in textual interpretation and analysis
• Demonstrate a strong understanding of the intersections between literature, writing and culture through sustained and close attention to particular texts, topics and critical and theoretical issues
• Demonstrate and apply advanced independent research skills.

Indicative reading list

Sample:

Barthes, Roland. "The death of the author." Readings in the Theory of Religion. Routledge, 2016. 141-145.

Brewer, John. "Authors, publishers and the making of literary culture." The book history reader (2002): 241-249.

Davies, Stephen. "Authors' intentions, literary interpretation, and literary value." The British Journal of Aesthetics 46.3 (2006): 223-247.

Foucault, Michel. "What is an Author?." Reading architectural history. Routledge, 2003. 71-81.

Sandvoss, Cornel. "The death of the reader." Fandom: Identities and communities in a mediated world (2007): 19-33.

Walker, Cheryl. "Feminist literary criticism and the author." Critical Inquiry 16.3 (1990): 551-571.

Research element

This will be dependent on the convenor and the assessment, but the students will need to look beyond the reading list into the history and publication of the text.

Subject specific skills

linguistic analysis; narratology; contextualisation; theoretical application to understanding of content and product; analysis of authorial personas.

Transferable skills

Close-reading and interpretation; attention to detail; knowledge of print and publication cultures that drive the production and success of an author and their cultural reputation.