Ower True Tales: Scott and Historicism (U03358)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : LLC-4-U03263

This course will aim to foster an understanding of the relationship between literature, history and philosophy in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries through reading the work of Walter Scott alongside major works in historiography, philosophy and cultural theory. The course will begin by looking at the claims made on Scott's behalf by Georg Lukács, and by reading Redgauntlet and The Antiquary against the background of Enlightenment and Romantic historiography, including both Scott's predecessors such as David Hume, as well as Lukács's own great inspirations Hegel and Marx, in order to develop a sense of his work's intellectual moment. We will then turn to look at The Pirate in the light of Northrop Frye's discussion of Walter Scott, and consider Hayden White's use of Frye to suggest that nineteenth century historiography never made the break with generic paradigms on which its claim to objectivity depends. Subsequent weeks will consider in relation to Old Mortality and The Bride of Lammermoor in relation to twentieth century reactions to the Enlightenment historicist project by thinkers associated with the Frankfurt School such as Walter Benjamin and Theodor Adorno, and by recent French philosophers such as Jacques Derrida. This final section will seek to raise questions about the links between the nation state and violence, about history and trauma, and the contemporary legacy of the Enlightenment project. But we will also consider whether such investigations might not in their turn be accused of merely substituting a tragic for a comic paradigm.

Entry Requirements

? This course is not available to visting students.

? Pre-requisites : Passes in English or Scottish Literature 1 and English, Scottish or American literature 2, with a mark of 50 or above at the first attempt in the second year course. Passes in third year courses in the subject area amounting to at least 40 credits.

? Special Arrangements for Entry : Numbers are limited and students taking degrees not involving English, Scottish or American literature need the written approval of the head of English Literature.

? Costs : Essential course texts.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

English Literature, (School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, Schedule G)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 4th year

? Delivery Period : Semester 1 (Blocks 1-2)

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

? Other Required Attendance : 1 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
18/09/2007	16:10	18:00	Room 1.10, 24 Buccleuch Place	Central

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Tuesday	16:10	18:00	Central

? Additional Class Information : 1 hour a week attendance at Autonomous Learning Group - times to be arranged

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to demonstrate:

1) Familiarity with a range of Scott's novels.

2) Knowledge of the intellectual, historical and literary contexts for Scott's work.

3) An understanding of contemporary debates about the legacy of Enlightenment.

4) The ability to relate detailed readings of Scott's work to wider issues of cultural history