English Literature - MA

This module is historical in order to be more richly contemporary. Students will be encouraged to think about the connections between writing, place and displacement as these things develop through time. Literature and Place asks how an informed understanding of writing and its involvement in different kinds and modes of location might constitute an intervention in the world today. To understand the complexities of this we will need to investigate the past. We will consider, for instance, imaginative, literary responses to important Tudor locations, writing about place and its relation to Romantic poetics and politics, and contemporary literary discourse engaged with the predicament of placelessness and statelessness. Taught sessions will be supplemented by seminars led by external experts, drawn from the English’s impressive range of professional / creative sector contacts.

This module allows you to explore the evolution and transformation of literary texts through processes of writing, publishing, editing and adapting. There is a focus on the roles of different participants (authors, publishers, editors, readers) in respect of three case studies from different periods and genres (normally but not exclusively a play, a collection of poems, and a work of prose fiction, one of which will usually be by a living writer). So doing, the module provides an introduction to Master’s level study of key critical issues and debates concerning authorship, the literary canon, and the roles of publishers, performers, editors and readers in the production of meaning. An editorial exercise forms part of the assessment regime, encouraging skills of research, pedagogy, transcription and critical evaluation.

The purpose of the module is to enable you to undertake a sustained, in-depth and theoretically informed research project exploring an area that is of personal interest to you. It is important that we can support you appropriately, so you will be guided towards choosing a research topic which is relevant to your discipline and in which your lecturers have expertise. The outcome may take the form of a written dissertation or a practical outcome with accompanying reflective, critical and contextual material. The main consideration when choosing your topic is that it must be relevant to your course and you should consider the relevance of this topic to your future academic or professional development.

At this level, you will be expected to work independently but you will receive additional one-to-one support from your supervisor, who will be familiar with your chosen topic area.

This module is an opportunity for you to develop skills which will contribute to the acquisition of key BCU graduate attributes; creative problem solvers, enterprising, professional and work ready and global outlook. In the context of the creative and cultural industries and at this academic level, this means an ability to: create work which is of a professional standard relevant to the discipline; undertake successful project planning to a professional standard, which may include budgetary and other relevant constraints; innovate and experiment; to self-evaluate and reflect critically on your work, situating your practice within the context of relevant academic/professional debates within your chosen medium.

On ‘Literature and Truth’ we will analyse texts that debate, construct, or challenge notions of ‘truth’. Our era has been labelled ‘post-truth’, but through literature and criticism (1848 – present) we’ll explore how truth has long been thought of as difficult to access, shifting, multiple, or provisional. At the same time, we’ll investigate how literature often attempts to make sense of the world, by considering writing and literary form as processes through which truth is sought.

We’ll consider how literature engages with issues such as ideology, nationality, beauty, justice, identity, and morality. Some of the questions we will cover include: what are the relationships between ‘truth’ and ethics, identity, politics, universality, or aesthetic value? What are the methods employed by aesthetic forms and genres to question or construct notions of truth?

This module will enable you to analyse, evaluate, and debate a variety of literary, academic, philosophical, and contemporary issues with the rigour and clarity required at postgraduate level study. You will learn how to develop independent judgements and discriminatory approaches to literature in conjunction with topics of crucial relevance today, informed by an understanding of contemporary academic and philosophical issues. You will develop crucial skills in communication, written expression, critical thinking, research, project management, and independent thought that are valuable in a variety of professions and workplaces.

This module addresses the place of literary writing in contemporary society. It brings together both literary critics and practitioners, and encourages you to explore the creative relationship between the different forms of writing they employ. You will study a variety of research methods, both in literary scholarship and in creative writing, and examine the evolving ways in which the contemporary writer and thinker can pursue their work both in and beyond publication, including pitching and bid writing, working across different media, collaboration, and shaping your role in the public sphere. The ideas and methods canvassed in this module will support you in developing your Major Project and enhancing your professional development.