First class: September 1, 2020

In this introductory course we will explore one of the most popular modes of literary representation. We will begin by situating realism as a movement in literary history and examine its conceptual and material foundations in 19th-century European and American culture and society. We will consider different ways of defining realism and situate them in relation to different arguments about the nature and role of literary representation. The central section of the course will focus on the analysis of realist representation in different texts. With close attention to texts from different times, we will ask how realism distinguishes itself from other forms of writing and how it persists in contemporary literary practice alongside (and even within) movements against realism in art and literature. We will also consider the conventions of realistic representation in different genres, art forms and media, and their role in non-fictional forms of writing. Throughout the course, we will also introduce different aspects and stages of critical writing about literary texts, with exercises and feedback.

 

Representation, imitation and fiction; concepts of realism; realism in literary history; conventions of realist representation; realism in different genres and media; objectivity and subjectivity; the role of the reader; writing and research; realism and intervention, realism beyond representation?

 

This course is intended to introduce you to the practice and methods of critical reading, analysis and writing by focusing on realism in literature, its definition, features and function in different genres, discourses and media. The course will offer you opportunities to develop critical reading skills and to question and analyze the role of representation in fictional and non-fictional texts. Regular exercises and assignments will be designed to explore and discuss different aspects of writing critically about literary texts, leading up to the writing of a short essay.

 

We will meet for three hours every week. The first two hours will consist of a combination of lecture, discussion and short exercises, focusing on analytical concepts, historical contexts and critical issues with reference to the set texts. The third hour is primarily intended for a series of workshops developing writing skills in connection with analytical and critical reading, for which the class may be divided into two groups, but may also be used for practical exercises and discussion as needed.

 

Assessment will be continuous and based 100% on coursework, including the following:

Contribution to discussion (in class and online)	20%
3 short writing assignments	30%
Term paper	50%

 

 

 

 

 

Extracts from Pam Morris, Realism (London: Routledge, 2003)

Fictional texts (available online below):

• Charles Dickens, extracts from Sketches by Boz: Illustrative of Every-Day Life and Every-Day People (1836), 31 pages (download PDF)
• Robert Browning, “My Last Duchess” (1842), a poem
• Henry James, Daisy Miller: A Study (1879), 36 pages (download PDF)
• Stephen Crane, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets (1893), 53 pages (download PDF)
• Virginia Woolf, extracts from Monday or Tuesday (1921), 14 pages (download PDF)
• Angela Carter, “The Merchant of Shadows” (1993), 20 pages (download PDF)

 

If you intend to take this course, begin reading these texts before the semester starts.