British Narrative: Pre-modern and Contemporary - MA Seminar 2 3301-LBS2KOW03
During the classes there is group discussion of the research done by the participants. Students read and discuss their chapters and give oral presentations on topics related to their research. The teacher explains relevant aspects of narratology and methods of literary studies with reference to reading assignments. Some of the texts and problems dealt with by participants are analyzed by the whole group (e. g. Victorian fairytale and children's literature, gender roles in relation to literary genre, fantasy and its medieval inspirations, tragic heroines in medieval romance and modern novel, twentieth-century campus fiction, films based on famous literary works). Students deepen and broaden their knowledge of narrative kinds and their cultural contexts.
Type of course
Prerequisites (description)
Learning outcomes
Knowledge: the graduate will be able to
K_W04 Characterize on an advanced level the principles of research design in literary and culture studies with special focus on the application of methods and tools in formulating research problems in narrative studies
K_W05 Identify the notions and principles pertinent to intellectual property and copyright, particularly pertaining to writing an M. A. thesis
K_W06 Characterize economic, legal and other factors relevant for various kinds of professional activities related to the study programme and the problems covered by the M. A. seminar
Abilities: the graduate is able to
K_U01 Apply advanced narratological terminology and notions pertinent to the discipline (linguistics, literary studies, culture and religion studies) in the area of narratology
K_U02 Apply advanced research methodology within literary and culture studies and English studies, respecting ethical norms and copyright law, in the area of narrative studies
K_U03 Apply knowledge obtained during the course of studies to account for and solve a problem, thereby completing a research task related to the discipline literary studies and/or culture and religion studies in the scope of the M. A. seminar
K_U04 Analyze linguistic, literary and cultural phenomena in British narrative texts and draw generalizations on their basis in the context of societal, historical and economic factors on an advanced level
K_U06 Find information in various sources and critically assess its usefulness for research related to the topic of the MA project in the area of British narrative studies
K_U07 Use modern technology in the process of learning about British narrative past and/or present and communicating with academic teachers, colleagues, representatives of various institutions and fellow participants in classes and projects, applying various channels and techniques of communication
K_U11 Design one’s own development with the possibility of implementing knowledge about narrative communication
Social competences: the graduate is ready to
K_K02 Apply knowledge and skills obtained during the course of studies and particularly during the M. A. seminar to undertake lifelong learning, as well as personal and professional development
Assessment criteria
Students present a working version of one chapter of the MA thesis with its updated outline, including thesis topic, plan, and expanded bibliography. Three absences are allowed.
Bibliography
A partly individualized choice from the following list (with additional reading when needed):
D. Herman (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Narrative (Cambridge UP, 2009).
M. Mcquillan, The Narrative Reader (Routledge, 2000).
P. Cobley, Narrative (Routledge, 2014).
S. Rimmon-Kenan, Narrative Fiction (Routledge, 2005).
T. Bronwen, Narrative: The Basics (Routledge, 2016).
M.-L. Ryan & J.-N. Thon, Storyworlds across Media (U of Nebraska P, 2014).
V. Propp, Morphology of the Folktale (U of Texas P, 2009).
J. Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (2004).
E. James and F. Mendlesohn (eds.), The Cambridge Companion to Fantasy Literature (2012)
H. Fulton (ed.), A Companion to Arthurian Literature (Blackwell, 2009).
T. Davenport, Medieval Narrative: An Introduction (Oxford UP, 2004).
H. Cooper, The English Romance in Time (Oxford UP, 2004).
N. Cartlidge (ed.), Heroes and Anti-heroes in Medieval Romance (Brewer, 2012).
C. A. Malcolm, D. Malcom (eds.), A Companion to the British and Irish Short Story (Wiley-Blackwell, 2008).
B. Kowalik (ed.),‘O, What a Tangled Web’: Tolkien and Medieval Literature. A View from Poland (Walking Tree Publishers, 2013).
B. Kowalik, „Foreignness in Katherine Mansfield’s 'Bliss' and Other Stories” (Peter Lang, 2015), 75-89.
B. Kowalik, "Gardens in G. K. Chesterton's Father Brown Stories" (Anglica, 2015).
B. Kowalik, “Who painted the mouse and who the vixen? Female animals in fables by Robert Henryson and Biernat of Lublin” (Peter Lang, 2012), 279-294.
B. Kowalik, „J. R. R. Tolkien’s Portrayal of Gandalf and the Medieval Legend of the Noble Pagan” (Verlag Trier, 2020), 179-198.
B. Kowalik, “Tolkien’s Use of the Motif of Goldsmith-Craft and the Middle English ‘Pearl’: Ring or Hand?” (Walking Tree Publishers, 2020), 40-71.
B. Kowalik, „Mit skarbu według J. R. R. Tolkiena w świetle jego przekładu 'Beowulfa'”, Acta Neophilologica (UWM) XVIII/1 (2016): 97-110.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: