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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2024/2025

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures : English Literature

Undergraduate Course: The Long Summer: Edwardian Texts and Contexts, 1900-1910 (ENLI10273)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Literatures, Languages and Cultures CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryIn popular imagination, the Edwardian period is characteristically seen as a long and carefree summer season. This 'long summer', according to conventional readings of the era, takes place in the gap between, on one side, a time of heavy Victorian paternalism and, on the other side, a disastrous world war. Literary histories of this era have similarly depicted the Edwardians as existing in a period of transition; bordered before 1900 by decadent reactions to the end of the Victorian period and after 1910 by the stirrings of literary Modernism. For these reasons, the first decade of the twentieth century has tended to be overlooked by students of both Victorian and Twentieth Century Modernist literature.
Course description In popular imagination, the Edwardian period is characteristically seen as a long and carefree summer season. This 'long summer', according to conventional readings of the era, takes place in the gap between, on one side, a time of heavy Victorian paternalism and, on the other side, a disastrous world war. Literary histories of this era have similarly depicted the Edwardians as existing in a period of transition: bordered before 1900 by decadent reactions to the end of the Victorian period and after 1910 by the stirrings of literary Modernism. For these reasons, the first decade of the twentieth century has tended to be overlooked by students of both Victorian and Twentieth Century Modernist literature.
This course offers an excellent opportunity to address this issue by examining several key literary texts alongside a number of the important social and political themes that emerged at this time. We will study the work of writers such as Arnold Bennett, H.G. Wells, E.M. Forster, George Bernard Shaw, G.K. Chesterton, Joseph Conrad, J.M. Barrie, E. Nesbit, and Rudyard Kipling. And we will examine the texts produced by these writers in light of important social and cultural debates: these will include Imperialism, the countryside and the Condition of England, the role of women in the new century, the rise of the lower middle class in literary culture, children's literature (which enjoyed its 'golden age' at this time), the effects of new technological breakthroughs (the motor car and aeroplane move from imagination to reality in this period), and those heated debates conducted between critics about the role of the writer in the new century.

By the end of this course, students will gain a detailed historical and theoretical understanding of this period. This knowledge will allow students of Victorian literature and twentieth century Modernist literature to bridge the gap between these distinct periods. The student completing this course will gain an excellent understanding of a variety of print cultural forms: these include novels, verse, drama, children's literature, and journalism. In addition, students interested in the intersection between literature and history will gain insights into the relationship between these disciplines over the decade.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: English Literature 1 (ENLI08001) OR Scottish Literature 1 (ENLI08016) OR Literary Studies 1A (ENLI08020) AND Literary Studies 1B (ENLI08021) AND English Literature 2 (ENLI08003) OR Scottish Literature 2 (ENLI08004) OR Literary Studies 2A: English Literature in the World, 1380-1788 (ENLI08024) AND Literary Studies 2B: English Literature in the World, post-1789 (ENLI08025) OR Scottish Literature 2A (ENLI08022) AND Scottish Literature 2B (ENLI08023)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements For students who took First Year courses prior to session 2021-22, a pass in English Literature 1 (ENLI08001) or Scottish Literature 1 (ENLI08016) is an acceptable equivalent
Additional Costs Essential course texts
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  0
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 176 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) One coursework essay, c.2,000 words (30%)
One time-limited final essay, c. 3,000 words (70%)
Feedback Not entered
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. By the end of this course students will gain a detailed historical and theoretical understanding of this period.
  2. This knowledge will allow students of Victorian and twentieth century Modernist literature to bridge the gap between these distinct periods.
  3. The student completing this course will gain an excellent understanding of a variety of print culture forms: these will include novels, verse, drama, children's literature, and journalism.
  4. In addition, students interested in the intersection between literature and history will gain insights into the relationship between these disciplines over a ten year period.
  5. Our field trip (to Lauriston Castle) will allow students to gain a wider understanding of the Edwardian world in a period environment.
Reading List
Rudyard Kipling, Kim
Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness
Arnold Bennett, The Old Wives' Tale
H.G. Wells, The History of Mr Polly
Kenneth Grahame, Wind in the Willows
J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
E. Nesbit, The Railway Children
George Bernard Shaw, Major Barbara
E.M. Forster, Howards End
Additional Information
Course URL http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/literatures-languages-cultures/english-literature/undergraduate/current/honours
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
Additional Class Delivery Information 2 hour(s) per week for 10 week(s): Autonomous Learning Group at time to be arranged.
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Jonathan Wild
Tel: (0131 6)51 3191
Email: J.Wild@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMrs Lina Gordyshevskaya
Tel:
Email: pgordysh@ed.ac.uk
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