EN122
Lectures will be given on Thursdays at 10.00 a.m. in L3 (Science Block)
Term 1
Week
1 29/9/05 Introduction
Unit 1: Reading Poetry
Dr Mukherjee
6/10/05 What is Poetry? Dr Mason
7.
8.
4.
5.
2.
3. 13/10/05
20/10/05
27/10/05
6. 3/11/05 Reading week
Unit 2: Research in Process
10/11/05 Essay Writing and Scholarly Practice Prof.Bell
17/11/05
Form and Formalism
Poetry and Process
Poetry and Politics
Dr Mason
Mr Morley
Dr Mason
Literary Research in the Electronic World
4.
3.
9. 24/11/05
10 1/12/05
Reading and Cultural Difference Dr Macdonald
Reading and Gender
19/1/06 Realism, Magic Realism, Intertextuality Dr Frith
(The Magic Toyshop)
26/1/06 Migrants, Margins, Empire Dr Mukherjee
(The Buddha of Suburbia)
Dr Jenainati
1.
2.
Term 2
Unit 3: Reading Fiction
5/1/06 Authors/Authority/Autobiography Dr Frith
12/1/06 Plot and Point of View Dr Frith
(Portrait of the Artist)
Mr Parker

5.
6.
2/2/06 The Coming-Out Novel Dr Jenainati
(Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit)
9/2/06 Reading Week
Unit 4: Plays and Performance
8.
9.
7. 16/2/06 Making the Play/Making the Text
(A Midsummer Night’s Dream)
23/2/06 Realism, Melodrama, Social Intervention Dr Barry
(The Plough and the Stars)
2/3/06 Theatre Past/Theatre Present Dr Barry
(The Island)
Prof. Bate
10. 9/3/06 Metatheatricality: Reflecting on the Social Role of
Theatre Dr Barry
(Our Country’s Good)
During terms 1 and 2, there will be a series of three writing workshops to help you prepare for your assessed essays: see the English Department Undergraduate Handbook for details.
Course Description and Aims
The course offers and introduction to the practices of criticism. Form, genre and literary inheritance will be among the topics addressed. The course enables students to work with a variety of critical approaches and to develop an informed awareness of the possibilities available to them as readers and critics.
Teaching Method
Modes of Reading is a core course for first-year undergraduates. It is taught by one weekly lecture and one weekly seminar-hour in Terms 1 and 2. There are 2 revision seminars in Term 3. Lectures are given on Thursdays at 10.00 a.m.
Written Assignments and Assessments
Term 1: Two short essays (2,000 words) set by seminar tutors.
Term 2: Assessed Essay 1: An essay of about 3,500 words, due by 15.00 on 16.1.05
Term 3: Assessed Essay 2: An essay of about 3,500 words, due in by 15.00 on Monday, 24.4.05
Set Texts in Likely Order of Use
Andrew Bennett and Nicholas Royle, An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory (3 rd edition,
2004) This is the core text for the course

M.Hulse and D.Kennedy (eds.), The New Poetry
James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Angela Carter, The Magic Toyshop
Hanif Kureishi, The Buddha of Suburbia
Jeanette Winterson, Oranges are Not the Only Fruit
William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Sean O’Casey, The Plough and the Stars
Athol Fugard, John Kani and Winston Ntshona, The Island
Timberlake Wertenbaker, Our Country’s Good
Course Convenor: Dr Pablo Mukherjee