Gwybodaeth Modiwlau
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 2 x 1 hour lecture each week |
| Seminars / Tutorials | 1 x 1 hour seminar each week |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
1 demonstrate knowledge of the Indian novel and a range of Caribbean writing
2 demonstrate critical and interpretative skills appropriate to Level 2 and deploy an appropriate critical vocabulary
3 demonstrate critically issues of literary language, form and genre in the primary literature, and relate this understanding to theoretical debates concerning postcolonialism
4 demonstrate a good understanding of the relationship between literary texts and the cultural, historical and geographical contexts in which they have been produced
5 demonstrate continuing development of the skills of researching and delivering essay assignments and examination responses
Brief description
This module expands students’ understanding of the range of world literatures in English by focusing on postcolonial environments, cultures and literatures. A range of key narratives from Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Australasia and the Caribbean are considered via a set of critical issues, including diaspora and cultural identity, rewriting the nation, and the notion of ‘writing back’. The module covers novels, memoirs, poems, plays and critical interventions by postcolonial authors from India, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Australia, and the Caribbean.
Content
Section One: The Indian Novel
1. Postcolonial Identities: Indian and Caribbean Writing – An Introduction
2. The Indian Novel: A Brief Critical Introduction
3. Raja Rao, Kanthapura I: Towards Independence
4. Kanthapura II: Forging the Indian Nation
5. Critical Debates in Postcolonial Literature I: Representing Colonialism
6. Arundhati Roy,The God of Small Things I: The Indian Tradition of Committed Writing
7. The God of Small Things I: The Meanings of Class and Caste
8. Critical Debates in Postcolonial Literature II: Nation and Narration
9. Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger I: Writing the New India
10. The White Tiger II: Class and Caste in the 21st Century
Section Two: Caribbean Writing
11. Postcolonial Caribbean Writing: A Brief Critical Introduction
12. V. S. Naipul, The Mimic Men I: Journeying from the Margin to the Centre
13. The Mimic Men II: The Politics of Mimicry
14. Critical Debates in Postcolonial Literature III: Myth and History
15. Derek Walcott, Collected Poems I: Legacies of Imperialism
16. Collected Poems II: The Meanings of 'Home' in Walcott's Poetry
17. Critical Debates in Postcolonial Literature IV: The Local and the Global
18. Jamaica Kincaid, A Small Place I: Antigua and Authorial Exile
19. A Small Place II: The Politics of International Tourism
20. Conclusion: World Literatures in the 21st Century
Seminar Topics
1. Postcolonial Identities: Indian and Caribbean Writing – A Critical Orientation
Section One: The Indian Novel
Raja Rao: The Novel and the Struggle for Indian Independence
2. Raja Rao, Kanthapura (1938)
Critical Debates in Postcolonial Theory: The Indian Novel
3. Selected critical essays (accessible via LION and/or Jstor)
Arundhati Roy: Class and Caste in India
4. Arundhati Roy,The God of Small Things (1997)
Aravind Adiga: India in the Age of Globalisation
5. Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger (2008)
Section Two: Postcolonial Caribbean Writing
Critical Debates in Postcolonial Theory: Caribbean Writing
6. Selected critical essays (accessible via LION and/or Jstor)
V. S. Naipul: Journeying from the Margin to the Centre
7. V. S. Naipul, The Mimic Men (1967)
Derek Walcott: Aesthetics and Politics in Postcolonial Caribbean Writing
8-9. Derek Walcott, Collected Poems (1986)
Jamaica Kincaid: Writing Antigua
10. Jamaica Kincaid, A Small Place (1988)
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | n/a |
| Communication | Written assignments and in seminar discussion and group presentations |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Through independent research and reading |
| Information Technology | In the preparation of written work and via e-resources such as LION and JSTOR |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Through critical self-reflection and the development of transferable research skills |
| Problem solving | Producing theoretically aware analysis of postcolonial texts and by formulating a detailed critical argument |
| Research skills | Identifying and exploring appropriate secondary materials in the preparation of written work and by synthesizing information in an evaluative argument. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Analysis and exploration of literary texts and key literary and theoretical concepts |
| Team work | During group work in seminars |
Reading List
Should Be PurchasedAdiga, Aravind (2008) The White Tiger Primo search Kincaid, Jamaica (1988) A Small Place Primo search Rao, Raj (1938) Kanthapura Primo search Roy, Arundati (1997) The God of Small Things Primo search Walcott, Derek (1986) Collected Poems Primo search Recommended Consultation
Ashcroft, Bill, et al, eds (1989) The Empire Writes Back: Theory and Practice in Post Colonial Literature Primo search Brydon, Diana and Triffin, Helen (1993) Decolonising Fictions Primo search Hamner, Robert, ed (1993) Critical Perspectives on Derek Walcott Primo search Innes, C L (2001) The Cambridge Introduction to Postcolonial Literatures in English Primo search Lazarus, Neil, ed (2004) The Cambridge Companion to Postcolonial Literatures Primo search McLeod, John (2007) The Routledge Companion to Postcolonial Studies Primo search Mukherjee, Meenakshi (2002) The Perishable Empire: Essays on Indian Writing in English Primo search Okague, Osita (2009) Culture and Identity in African and Caribbean Theatre Primo search Rushdie, Salman (1999) Imaginary Homelands Primo search Spivak, Gayatri (1987) In Other Worlds: Essays in Cultural Politics Primo search Torres Saillant, Silvio (1997) Caribbean Poetics: Toward and Aesthetic of West Indian Literature Primo search
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 5