ETS 4U1 – Modern Literature
This course will appeal to individuals who enjoy reading and studying literature of all kinds.
Students will examine some of the most significant works of modern literature with a focus on
Existential Philosophy. Literary movements such as Modernism, Theatre of the Absurd and
Surrealism will also be examined. This course is excellent preparation for the university bound
student looking to develop their close reading and analytical writing skills.
Course Description
Aims of the Course:
To have the student read carefully selected samples from the wide spectrum of modern literature
in English in order that he/she may:
•
become aware of the cultural heritage of the English speaking world;
•
have some knowledge of the important philosophical, religious, scientific, social
and political movements in history that have shaped how we communicate;
•
respond with imagination and reason to these expressions of our cultural roots
•
realize the relationship between the written word and the other arts;
•
be encouraged to continue reading and experiencing widely in the field of
literature with an understanding, overview, and enjoyment which he/she might not
have had otherwise;
•
effectively express him/herself correctly, clearly, concisely in written and oral
communication;
•
develop an awareness and understanding of several critical analytical approaches
and apply them to a variety of works.
Unit Breakdown:
Unit One: Short Stories, The Old Man and the Sea and 20th Century Concepts – Hemingway the Hemingway Hero, Post War Cynicism, Alienation and Existentialism
Unit Two: Novel Study – The Great Gatsby and Modernism
Unit Three: Poetry – form, style and explication - various authors/poets
Unit Four: Drama – Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf – truth and illusion, the struggles of
existence in contemporary Western society, Theatre of the Absurd
Unit Five: Novella – Metamorphosis – surrealism
Unit Six: Independent Study of an author, literary genre or cultural expression
Materials:
Novels: The Great Gatsby
Novellas: Metamorphosis, The Old Man and The Sea
Plays: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Waiting For Godot
Short Stories: Selections from Snows of Kilimanjaro,
Films: The Great Gatsby, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Lost in Translation
Poems: Various selections