Prof. Dr. Vesela Katsarova
Lectures: 45
ECTS: 4
Far from being dead, as it was once claimed, the contemporary British novel enjoys a period of tremendous renovation which has come from different directions:
– from within through the reconciliation of styles (Graham Swift, Julian Barnes, Martin Amis, Ian McEwan);
– from without through openness to peripheral areas in Britain as well as foreign influences (Alasdair Gray, Liam O’Flaherty);
– from cultural pluralism introduced by the subjects of the former British Empire (Salman Rushdie, Timothy Mo);
– from the contribution of women writers with their focus on gender issues (Angela Carter), etc.
As a result, the British novel today is flexible, wide-ranging, multicultural and radically open-ended.
The course will focus on the new developments, which will be studied in detail. All arguments will be illustrated by close reading of representative samples in the context of literary theory and their translation into Bulgarian. Film versions will be juxtaposed with literary texts in terms of film theory.
Assessment:
– Class participation: 25%
– Assignments: 25%
– Term project: 50 %