This is a third-year module which discusses the ways in which recent postcolonial writers have re-written key texts of the English literary canon. The aim is to explore the unspoken assumptions concerning racial and cultural difference which inform and shape the production and the critical reception of selected 18th- and 19th-century novels in Britain. Emphasis is placed on the postcolonial re-readings which unmask the (textual and ideological) processes whereby racist and xenophobic discourses become naturalised and invisible in the eyes of readers. The novels to be studied in class are Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, J.M. Coetzee’s Foe, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea. Expected learning outcomes: By the end of the module students are expected to have •very good knowledge of the novels discussed •sufficient knowledge of the history of British colonialism of the 18th and 19th centuries •some knowledge of contemporary postcolonial theories •gained insights into the mutually interactive relationship which exists between literary texts and their cultural and historical contexts Recommended Bibliography: Items listed on the Module Outline Distribution of Module Outline? YES Distribution of textbook: YES Distribution of related bibliography: NO Method of assessment: Evaluation is by presentation, essay and final exam (optional), or by final exam only.
| Semester | Group | Day | From | To | Room | Instructor |
| Winter | Tuesday | 08:30 | 11:00 | 417 | Yiannopoulou Effie |
Course Outline
