Aims

Students will be expected to grasp the poetics of various contemporary works and the different ways in which those works interact. They will also become familiar with several movements or trends that have shaped contemporary literature in English.
The module is also indirectly meant to increase the students' lexical skills. Their analyses will therefore have to reflect a command of the English language that corresponds to their level (3rd or 4th year).

Main themes

The lectures are designed to provide close analyses of selected texts - these can be English or American, modern or contemporary (i.e. post-1945). Students are encouraged to develop a critical reflexion on the formal and thematic evolution of modern literature in English, and more especially on the links between that evolution and the history of ideas, scientific and technical progress, as well as changes in social structures, aesthetic principles and ideology.

Content and teaching methods

The Transoceanic Imaginary: Postcolonial Rewritings of History

This course will focus on several rewritings of the (second) Middle Passage, of more recent passages by, for instance, Haitian boat people, as well as of slavery times. These revisions of history constitute what we will call the "transoceanic imaginary." Why and how should one rewrite history and traumatic events such as the Middle Passage or the horrors of slavery? What does “rewriting” mean? This course will, on the one hand, examine the historical, political and social factors which underlie these writings and, on the other, analyse the metaphorical, subjective, symbolic, polyphonic and generic elements of these creative works. Major authors will be studied such as Toni Morrison, Fred d’Aguiar and Caryl Phillips.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Prerequisites : GERM 1226, GERM 1225 or equivalent modules (introductions to English literature). The set texts (ca. 4 books) should be read before each seminar.

Evaluation : an oral exam and a written essay.


Teaching materials : a booklet is handed out to the students at the first lecture. It includes a list of set texts, details about the organisation of the module, a selection of excerpts, a list of questions and a bibliography.

Oterhs : students are invited to take an active part in the module.

Other credits in programs