Module title: British literary studies

Timetable

Module aim (aims)

This proseminar aims to acquaint students with the works of fiction representing the critical stages of Ian McEwan’s development as an author. McEwan is a realist writer who is known for engaging his readers in ethical and social debates as in The Children Act (2014), which makes us ponder on Fiona May’s moral dilemmas as an impartial High Court Judge in the Family Division, or in Saturday (2005), which invites us to step into the shoes of Henry Perowne, a successful neurosurgeon, who one day realises how fragile his happiness is. McEwan is a complex and controversial author – his debut in the late 1970s (his first two novels) earned him the nickname ‘Ian Macabre’. He is both loved and hated by critics and much as the reviews of his books may have been ‘laudatory’ or ‘unfavourable’, they have never been ‘neglectful’ (Dobrogoszcz 2019: 3). This course is designed to analyse McEwan’s writing style and the modes of readers’ engagement in fiction. Above all, the aim is to engage its participants in debates concerning current social/political/ethical issues, e.g. Brexit, climate change, sensationalism in the media, or ethical problems in the modern world.

Specific aims:

- to acquaint students with the works of fiction representing the key stages of Ian McEwan’s development as an author;

- to analyse McEwan’s writing style and the modes of readers’ engagement in fiction;

- to engage students in debates concerning current social/political/ethical issues, e.g. Brexit, artificial intelligence, climate change, ethical problems in the modern world;

- to develop the students’ ability of critical and logical thinking.

 

 

Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences (where relevant)

· Very good knowledge of English (reading and communication)

· General interest in contemporary literature and culture

Syllabus

Week 1: Introduction: Who is Ian McEwan and what is special about his fiction?

Week 2: Brexit from a socio-political perspective (presentation and discussion)

Week 3: Brexit: The Cockroach (2019)

Week 4: ‘The Structure of Narrative’ (see Fludernik 2006: 21-39) and ‘Empathic Engagement with Narrative Fictions’ (Copland 2004: 141-149)

Week 5: Multiple points of view and the question of empathy in Atonement (2001)

Week 6: AI in contemporary culture, e.g. Blade Runner, Westworld (presentation and discussion)

Week 7: AI and morality in Machines Like Me (2019) and a presentation on Alan Turing

Week 8: FIS/FIT and (im)politeness for characterisation in fiction: ‘Speech and thought presentation’ (see Short 1996: 289-325) and ‘Towards an Anatomy of Impoliteness’ (Culpeper 1996: 349-367)

Week 9: Covert impoliteness, climate change and female scientists in Solar (2010)

Week 10: McEwan as a short story writer: ‘Dead as They Come’ (1978) / ‘Solid Geometry’ (1975) / ‘Conversation with a Cupboard Man’ (1975)

Week 11: Ethical issues: Ethics in politics and the media (presentation and discussion)

Week 12: Journalist ethics in Amsterdam (1998)

Week 13: Revision

Week 14: Final essay 

Reading list

Coplan, Amy 2004 'Empathic Engagement with Narrative Fictions'. The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 62(2): 141-152.

Culpeper, Jonathan 1996 'Towards an Anatomy of Impoliteness'. Journal of Pragmatics 25: 349-367.

Fludernik, Monika 2006 An Introduction to Narratology. New York and London: Routledge.

McEwan, Ian http://www.ianmcewan.com/ (McEwan's works / their fragments will be provided by the instructor).

Short, Mick 1996 Exploring the Language of Poems, Plays and Prose. Harlow, UK: Longman.