Programme/Approved Electives for 2020/21
None
Available as a Free Standing Elective
No
This module is designed to establish a bridge between the composition and criticism of prose fiction by introducing students to different literary modes through practice. Reading a wide selection of twentieth-century short stories, the module will look at the major elements of prose fiction (for example voice, narrative structure, evocation of character and place), explore how different writers approach these elements and encourage students to develop them in their own writing. The course will be taught via topic lectures, reading groups in which students will read and discuss selected short stories, and writers' workshops for students to test their own compositions via peer review of their writing.
Aims
To introduce students to the key characteristics of prose fiction.To show how the understanding of these characteristics can be employed to explore the meaning of a text.To provide students with an awareness of the literary traditions to which their writing might respond.To provide students with an awareness of the contemporary literary context of their own writing.To introduce an awareness of form and genre to students' own creative writing.To give students the opportunity to engage with creative as well as critical practice and to begin to explore the relationship between the two.
Intended Learning Outcomes
demonstrate familiarity with the distinctive characteristics of prose fiction (narrative voice, narrative structure, evocation of place etc.): 1,2write short, creative prose pieces that demonstrate an engagement with the critical questions raised on the module: 1reflect critically on the creative practice (of themselves and others): 2show knowledge of the work of a range of authors of short fiction.: 2demonstrate analytic skills - close reading, description and analysis of form and meaning - using appropriate literary terminology: 2
Lectures: 6 hoursReading Groups: 6 hoursWorkshops: 12 hoursIndividual study (reading, tutorial preparation, workshop preparation): 63 hoursPreparation of written assessments: 62 hoursFeedback: 1 hour
Description of Module Assessment
1: Portfolio weighted 60%A Portfolio of Original WritingA collection of between 3 and 5 short extracts or a single short story (2,000-2,500 words)
2: Commentary weighted 40%Commentary on the PortfolioA 2,000-word commentary that shows in detail the way in which the student's own work situates itself within the context of a particular literary mode/genre and explores technical issues of writing.