Postgraduate Course: Comparative Literature in a European and Global Perspective (ELCC11017)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | At the crossroads of new academic trends and exciting critical debates in research areas such as Postcolonial Studies, World Literature or Translation Studies, this team-taught course will introduce students to the theory and practice of Comparative Literature in its twenty-first century context. We will be comparing seminal works originally published in English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Russian and Japanese, via a series of key transversal themes. All texts studied will be available in English translation. |
| Course description |
Finding its roots in nineteenth century Europe, Comparative Literature has been marked by a recurring institutional instability. This discipline aiming to bridge the gap between literary, cultural and linguistic traditions is currently being reshaped by a series of major global phenomena in academia and beyond (decolonization, multilingualism, etc.). Acknowledging its European origins but moving away from a Euro-centric perspective, the course will explore and compare seminal works originally published in English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Russian and Japanese, via a series of key transversal themes: the representation of cities across various media, between reality and fiction; the afterlives of iconic characters such as Don Quixote; the translation and transnational reception of literary works, genres (e.g. novel, autobiography, etc.) and styles; writing the self and identities between languages and cultures; historical, national and political stereotypes and archetypes, between the universal and the particular. As part of the course, we will be discussing trailblazing authors such as Miguel de Cervantes, Tommaso Campanella, Natsume Soseki, Kobo Abe, Italo Calvino, Vladimir Nabokov and Salman Rushdie, who all contribute to, and question, modernity understood in its broadest sense. All texts studied will be available in English, although students will be encouraged to read them in the original languages whenever possible.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Apply knowledge of a number of critical theories and different approaches to the study of comparative literature, as a subject and as a practice.
- Analyse critically literary texts originally written in different languages and locate them in their historical, socio-cultural and artistic context
- Compare, contrast, and analyse critically literary texts originally written in different European languages and locate them in their historical, socio-cultural and artistic context.
- Work autonomously both as part of a group and on their own.
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Reading List
| Can be found on Learn. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
1) An ability to compare and contrast literary works from different cultural traditions.
2) The ability to analyse critically a variety of texts by making reference to their form and content, including their national, historical, cultural, aesthetic and linguistic background.
3) A critical understanding of the principal theories, concepts and principles in the field of comparative literature.
4) Presentational and academic writing skills. |
| Keywords | Artistic traditions and languages from the 17th to 21st century,Comparative Global Literature |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Fabien Arribert-Narce
Tel: (0131 6)50 8414
Email: f.arribert-narce@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Monique Brough
Tel: (0131 6)50 3618
Email: Monique.Brough@ed.ac.uk |
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