English and drama

Critical Approaches 2

Module code: Q3123D
Level 4
15 credits in spring semester
Teaching method: Seminar, Lecture
Assessment modes: Coursework

How do we go about reading and interpreting a literary text?

What are we trying to do when we analyse a work of literature? Are we trying to establish one correct interpretation?

Do we need to understand the original intentions of the author to understand what something means?

Could our interpretations of texts be affected by forces beyond our control, forces such as the workings of language, unconscious desires, class, race, gender, sexuality or nationality?

This module will bring together literary cultures and theoretical insights from perspectives including:

  • psychoanalysis
  • Marxism
  • deconstruction
  • intersectional feminism
  • queer theory.

Sussex has blazed a trail in many of these fields, changing the landscape of university study, and making a difference to people’s lived experiences. Sussex was, for example, at the forefront of developing postcolonial studies, and the understanding of sexual difference with our Centre for Study of Sexual Dissidence.

This module will help you contemplate and articulate new ideas. We will read fascinating literary works and theoretical essays that will change the way each of us thinks.

Pre-requisite

How do we go about reading and interpreting a literary text? What are we trying to do when we analyse a work of literature: are we trying to establish one correct interpretation? How do we decide that some interpretations are more valuable than others? Do we need to understand the original intentions of the author to understand what something means? Is it necessary to understand the historical or political situation from which a work emerged? Do readers interpret texts differently at different historical moments? Could our interpretations of texts be affected by forces beyond our control, forces such as the workings of language, unconscious desires, class, race, gender, sexuality or nationality? How is it that some texts, Shakespeare's plays, for instance, are highly valued by our culture, while others have been lost or devalued? Who or what decides which literature will survive to be read and studied on English courses?

Critical Approaches 2 will suggest some ways of answering these large and difficult questions about interpretation, and aims to help you think in new ways about the work you do for your English degree at Sussex. In the spring you will study the themes: "Theories of Subjectivity, Identity, and Desire," "Postcolonial Studies," and "The Contemporary Moment". Throughout the module you will read critical and theoretical essays and literary works that contribute to your understanding of these themes. The module will examine many different aspects of literary theory including new criticism, Marxism, structuralism, post-structuralism, deconstruction, feminism, post-colonial theory, psychoanalysis and queer theory.

Module learning outcomes

  • Understand central issues in modern literary theory and criticism and put them into a wider theoretical and historical context.
  • Close read and analyse critical essays and arguments.
  • Understand the ways in which different theoretical perspectives can contribute to a reader's interpretation of fiction, poetry, plays, and culture.
  • Research, design and write a well-structured essay and learn how to lead an interactive seminar.