Gwybodaeth Modiwlau

Module Identifier
ENM3420
Module Title
WORLD POSTMODERN FICTIONS
Academic Year
2008/2009
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 2

Course Delivery

Delivery Type Delivery length / details
Seminars / Tutorials 5 x 2 hours
 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment 1 X 5000 WORD ESSAY  100%
Supplementary Assessment RESUBMIT ANY FAILED ELEMENTS  100%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

demonstrate detailed knowledge of the global context of postmodernism

identify and evaluate the specific uses to which postmodern literary techniques have been put by various cultures

demonstrate an understanding of the problems inherent to issues of translation in both technical and cultural terms

communicate the above effectively in an extenede critical and analytical essay

Aims

Students would take this module in their second semester of their MA programme, primarily because they will already have experience of postmodernism from various other MA courses, such as Postmodern Cultures, Postmodern American Fictions (from semester 1), and Metafictional Experiments in the Postmodern Novel. This module also serves to introduce students to a wider variety of postmodern fiction than the MA programme currently allows.

Content

1. TRANSLATION, NATIONALITY, AND IDENTITY IN A POSTMODERN WORLD
Critical extracts from Susan Bassnett, "Translation Studies" (Routledge 2002), and Couser and Fichtelberg, "True Relations" (Greenwood Press 1998); and literary selections from Jorge Luis Borges, "Labyrinths" (1956-60), various translators.

2. ASIA
Haruki Murakami, "The Wild Sheep Chase" (1983), trans. Alfred Brinbaum, 1989. (304pp); Kodama Sanehide and Inoue Ken, "Postmodernism in Japan" in " International Postmodernism".

3. EUROPE
Italo Calvino, "If on a winter's night a traveller" (1979), trans. William Weaver, 1981. (159pp); Monica Jansen, "Postmodernism in Italy" in "International Postmodernism".

4. AFRICA
J.M. Coetzee, "Foe" (1986). (160pp); Chantal Zabus, "Postmodernism in African Literature in English" in "International Postmodernism".

5. SOUTH AFRICA
Carlos Fuentes, "Christopher Unborn" (1987), trans. Alfred MacAdam, 1989. (531pp); Julio Ortega, "Postmodernism in Spanish-American Writing" in "International Postmodernism".


Brief description

Exploring the postmodern literature of four continents, Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America, often in translation, this module offers students the opportunity to explore the wider global contexts of postmodernism. The module locates postmodernism itself as a global phenomenon (via the concept of postmodernity) and encourages students to assess the relative differences between how postmodern narrative strategies and devices are used by various cultures. 'rranslation? here is as much a method of linking between cultures as it is a linguistic mechanism, and so both technical and thematic concepts of translation will be considered through topics such as magic realism, metafiction, and postcolonialism, as well as issues of globalization, and national, cultural, and individual identity.

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Communication Written communication in the form of essays. Oral communication in seminars.
Improving own Learning and Performance Developing own research skills; Management of time.
Information Technology Use of electronic resources; Production of written work.
Personal Development and Career planning Critical self-reflection and the development fo transferable communication and research skills.
Problem solving Identifying problems and suggesting resoned solutionsin seminars. Formulating and developing an extended argument.
Research skills Independent research to complete the summative assessment task. Relating literary texts to cultural contexts; Synthesizing information in an evaluative argument.
Subject Specific Skills Advanced research skills in a specific area of specialist literary study. The analysis of literary texts, cultural contexts, and awareness of the issues of translation, both in classroom discussion and written assessments.
Team work Group work in seminars

Reading List

Should Be Purchased
Calvino, Italo (April 2002) If on a Winter's Night Random House Primo search Coetzee, J. M. (Feb. 2001) Foe Penguin Books, Limited Primo search Fuentes, Carlos (Oct. 2005) Christopher Unborn Dalkey Archive Press Primo search Murakami, Haruki (May 2003) A Wild Sheep Chase Random House Primo search
Supplementary Text
Bassnett-McGuire, Susan. (2002.) Translation studies /Susan Bassnett. Routledge Primo search Bertens, Hans (Jan. 1997) International Postmodernism: Theory and Literary Practice John Benjamins Publishing Company Primo search Couser, G. Thomas (Jan. 1998) True Relations: Essays on Autobiography and the Postmodern. Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated Primo search Das, Bijay Kumar (2003) Postmodern Indian English Literature Atlantic Primo search Head, Dominic. (1997.) J.M. Coetzee /Dominic Head. Cambridge University Press Primo search Helmuth, Chalene (1997) The Postmodern Fuentes Bucknell UP Primo search Markey, Constance. (c1999.) Italo Calvino: a journey toward postmodernism /Constance Markey. University Press of Florida Primo search Nash, Christopher (Jan. 1993) World PostModern Fiction Longman Publishing Group Primo search Rubin, Jay (2002.) Haruki Murakami and the music of words /Jay Rubin. Harvill Primo search Strecher, Matthew. (2002.) Dances with sheep: the quest for identity in the fiction of Murakami Haruki /Matthew Carl Strecher. Center for Japanese Studies/University of Michigan Primo search Williams, Raymond Leslie (1995) The Postmodern Novel in Latin America: Politics, Culture, and the Crisis of Truth Palgrave Macmillan Primo search eds. D'haen, Theo and Bertens, Hans (1988) Postmodern Fiction in Europe and the Americas Rodopi Primo search eds. Masao, Miyoshi and Harootunian, H.D. (1989) Postmodernism and Japan Duke UP Primo search eds. Snyder, Stephen and Gabriel, Philip (1998) Oe and Beyond: Fiction in Contemporary Japan University of Hawaii Press Primo search

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 7