English 305-001
British Literature 1900 to the Present
Instr: Roberts, Sheila
Office: CRT 597; 229-4534
e-mail: svrob@csd.uwm
Office hours: TBA
Course Information: MTWR; 2:00-3:40pm; CRT 321
Course Description
Although innovative or modernist literature was being written in Britain at the end of the 19th century (e.g., the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins and the novels of Thomas Hardy), in this course we will concentrate on various literary forms, produced from about 1910. That was the year when Virginia Woolf asserted that "human nature has been changed forever." Her statement was inspired by the arrival of the Post-Impressionist Exhibition in London and the performances of the Ballet Russes. The texts we will be reading will, at times, open a discussion regarding so-called "human nature" and whether it is changeable. The first day of the course will be a lecture on the conditions: social, political, and artistic in Britain at the turn of the 20th century. Although none of the fictional texts address the profound effects of World War I on English soldiers and civilians, some of the poetry we will be reading will compensate for that lack.
Predominantly, we will focus on those innovative works that gave expression to social and psychological changes among the British, especially, but not only, the intelligentsia. Our required reading will include the following:
The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene
The Dubliners by James Joyce (short collection of stories)
Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf (a short novel)
A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh (a short novel)
Look Back in Anger by John Osborne (a play)
The Millstone by Margaret Drabble (a short novel)
The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles
A photocopied collection of poetry, available at Clark Graphics.
A short, recommended list of texts will be handed out in class. Each student will choose one extra book on which to focus a class presentation.
Grades will be apportioned as follows:
A class presentation of about twenty minutes, 25%
A mid-term paper of 3-5 pp. on one of the above books, 25%
An end-of-term paper (6-8 pp.) on one of the topics suggested in class, 40%
Punctuality, attendance, and class participation, 10%
Students are encouraged to see me during my office hours (9:00 to 10:45am daily) to ask questions about the course and their work, or to request guidance. Drafts of the mid-term and end-of-term papers may be handed to me more than once, for correction or suggestions, if needed.
Religious holidays will be respected.
