British Women Writers of the 20th Century 3301-LB1018
The course surveys the directions in which British women's writing developed from the first decades of the 20th to the beginnings of the 21st century. It presents the diverse forms of women's literature, such as the literary essay, various kinds of short stories and novels, poetry, drama, and novel in verse. Characteristic tropes, motifs, and themes of women's writing are explored. Selected literary texts are analyzed in parallel with the successive stages of feminist criticism and women's movement, as well as in the light of women's history and the history of women's literature, going back to myths and fairy tales and taking into consideration the social constructions of femininity and masculinity. Analysis of literary texts is combined with free reflection and discussion around women's place in society and the literary canon.
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge
Students will be able to:
K_W01- Identify and characterize on an advanced level the place
and status of 20th c. British women's writing within history of literature
K_W02- Describe on an advanced level the trends in
20th c. feminist criticism within English studies
K_W04- Characterize on an advanced level the principles of
research design in literary studies with special focus on the
application of methods and tools in formulating research problems related to women's writing
K_W05- Identify the notions and principles pertinent to
intellectual property and copyright
Abilities
Students will be able to:
K_U01- Apply advanced terminology and notions pertinent to the
20th-century British women's literature
K_U02 - Apply advanced research methodology within women's literature in English studies, respecting ethical norms and copyright law
K_U03 - Apply knowledge obtained during the course of studies to
account for and solve a problem, thereby completing a research
task related to British women's literature and women's writing
K_U04 - Analyze literary phenomena related to women's writing and draw generalizations on their basis in the context of societal, historical and economic factors on an advanced level
K_U05 - Discern alternative methodological paradigms within feminist criticism
K_U06 - Find information in various sources and critically assess
its usefulness for research related to the topic of the MA project, esp. in the field of women's studies
Social competences
Students will be ready to:
K_K02 - Apply knowledge and skills obtained during the course on British women's literature to undertake lifelong learning, as well as personal and
professional development
K_K03- Take responsibility for performing one’s professional
duties, with due respect for the work of others, particularly women and representatives of social minorities and the underprivileged, obey and develop
the ethical norms in professional and academic settings related to
the disciplines included on the curriculum of English studies
K_K04- Assess critically one’s own knowledge and skills related
to women's studies
K_K06- Value cultural heritage and cultural diversity as well as
individual opinions, in particular, women's contributions to culture and literature
Education at language level B2+.
Assessment criteria
- attendance
- participation in talking about literary texts and criticism and in general discussions during classes
- preparing and giving in class an oral presentation
- preparing and sharing with class a short piece of creative writing (a literary essay/fable/poem)
- 2 absences are allowed
Bibliography
Literary texts:
- literary essay - Virginia Woolf, "A Room of One's Own"
- short story - a selection of several stories by Katherine Mansfield, Elizabeth Bowen, Angela Carter, and Barbara Pym
- poetry - a few selected poems by Stevie Smith and Carol Ann Duffy
- novel - two or three novels selected from among the works of Virginia Woolf, Agatha Christie, Jean Rhys, Philippa Pearce, Muriel Spark, and Ali Smith
- drama - a play by Caryl Churchill
- novel in verse - a novel by Bernardine Evaristo
Literary criticism:
S. M. Gilbert and S. Gubar, The Madwoman in the Attic
E. Showalter, A Literature of Their Own
E. Showalter, ed., The New Feminist Criticism
B. Kowalik, "An Excellent Woman as Fool: A Bakhtinian Reading of Barbara Pym's Fiction"
B. Kowalik, "Foreignness in Katherine Mansfield's 'Bliss' and Other Stories"
Literary criticism:
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: