ENG 3096 - CONTEMPORARY BRITISH FICTION

credits: 3.0
This course offers an in-depth study of selected works of British fiction written after 1945, with attention to prominent themes, literary techniques and genres, contemporary theoretical issues, and relevant cultural and historical contexts. Selected readings will represent a variety of authors and literary developments. Lecture and discussion topics include modernist experimentation, existentialism, postmodernism, the gothic, feminism, socialism, historical fiction, realism, fantasy, magic realism, metafiction, regionalism, capitalism, history, narrative, identity, popular culture, gender, sexuality, representation, class, postcolonial issues, literary theory, and the institutions shaping the production, distribution, consumption, definition, and perception of contemporary British fiction. Authors to be studied include Iris Murdoch, Doris Lessing, John Fowles, Angela Carter, Martin Amis, A.S. Byatt, Peter Ackroyd, V.S. Naipaul, and Pat Barker. Objectives: A) Study some significant texts in contemporary British fiction; B) Learn about and discuss common themes associated with contemporary British fiction; C) Learn about and discuss relevant cultural, historical, and theoretical issues associated with contemporary British fiction; D) Explore a variety of approaches to contemporary British fiction; E) Develop individual theories about contemporary British fiction; F) Develop students’ abilities to think and write critically about fiction. Method of Instruction: Lecture and discussion. Method of Evaluation: Three essays, brief response papers, and reading quizzes. Meets *WEP Distribution Requirement.

Prerequisite(s): Any 2000-level English course.