Spring 2019 - ENGL 440W E100
Topics in British Literature Post 1945 (4)
Class Number: 8448
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Jan 3 – Apr 8, 2019: Tue, 5:30–9:20 p.m.
Burnaby -
Exam Times + Location:
Apr 23, 2019
Tue, 7:00–10:00 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Susan Brook
sbrook@sfu.ca
Office: AQ 6114
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Prerequisites:
ENGL 342. Reserved for English honors, major, joint major and minor students.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
The intensive study of selected works of British literature written after 1945. May be organized by author, genre, or critical approach. Students with credit for ENGL 440 may not take this course for further credit. Writing.
COURSE DETAILS:
Narrating Terror
The events of September 11 produced a proliferation of narratives about terror, in images and words, yet many writers and filmmakers subsequently confessed to feeling unable to represent these events in fictional form. What is the relationship between terror and the stories about terror that we read or spectacles of violence that we witness? Is terror itself a form of narrative or communication? This course will study specific narratives of terror in order to think about the links between narrative and terror more broadly. We will explore terror, spectacle and narrative through the analysis of a series of postwar British novels, plays, and films—The Crying Game, Elephant, V for Vendetta, and The Road to Guantánamo—that narrate terror and raise self-reflexive questions about the relationship between terror and narrative. The course will be structured around three case studies of different moments of terrorism: fin-de-siècle European anarchism; Northern Ireland after 1970; and September 11. We will draw on critical and theoretical readings (as narratives of terror themselves) in order to contextualize and historicize the fiction, drama and film, as well as to help us think critically about the relationship between terror and narrative.
Grading
- Participation 10%
- Presentation (including 4-5 page written report) 20%
- Two short pages (3 pages each) 20%
- Paper proposal and revision exercise 10%
- Final paper (10-12 pages) 40%
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent. Penguin.
ISBN: 9780141441580
Martin McDonagh, The Lieutenant of Inishmore. Dramatists Play Service.
ISBN: 9780822219347
Pat Barker, Double Vision. Picador.
ISBN: 9780140270754
Mohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Random House.
ISBN: 9780385663458
Department Undergraduate Notes:
IMPORTANT NOTE Re 300 and 400 level courses: 75% of spaces in 300 level English courses, and 100% of spaces in 400 level English courses, are reserved for declared English Major, Minor, Extended Minor, Joint Major, and Honours students only, until open enrollment begins.
For all On-Campus Courses, please note the following:
- To receive credit for the course, students must complete all requirements.
- Tutorials/Seminars WILL be held the first week of classes.
- When choosing your schedule, remember to check "Show lab/tutorial sections" to see all Lecture/Seminar/Tutorial times required.
Registrar Notes:
SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.
Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS