Introduction to literary theory

The course offers an overview of contemporary approaches to the study of literature.

The course offers an overview of selected approaches to the study of literature with the aim to supply students with the tools necessary to successfully conduct literary analysis of various types of texts. During the course the study of selected critical works is accompanied by practical analysis of poetry and fiction.

Content distribution:

- Literary genres and conventions

- Analysis of poetry, drama, and fiction

- Narratology

- Psychoanalysis

- Political criticism

- Poststructuralism (deconstruction)

- Metafiction and postmodernist fiction

- Feminist literary criticism

- Postcolonial criticism

- Ecocriticism

Selected readings from:

Barry, Peter. 1995. Beginning theory: An introduction to literary and cultural criticism. Manchester University Press.

Cohan, Steven and Linda M. Shires. 1988. Telling Stories: A Theoretical Analysis of Narrative Fiction. London: Routledge.

Klarer, Mario. 2004. An Introduction to Literary Studies. Edition: 2nd. London: Routledge.

Leitch, V.B. 2001. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. New York: W.W. Norton and Company.

Middeke, Martin, Christina Wald and Hubert Zapf (eds.). English and American Studies: Theory and Practice. Stuttgart: Springer-Verlag, 2012.

Rapaport, Herman. 2011. The Literary Theory Toolkit: A Compendium of Concepts and Methods. Malden, MA.: Wiley-Blackwell.

Ryan, M. 2007. Literary Theory. A Practical Introduction. Malden MA: Blackwell Publishing.

A selection of literary texts published on Moodle.

A graded credit based on:

Test – W1 (40 %)

Home assignments and quizzes –W1, U1, K1 (30%)

Activity – U1, K1 (30%)

Please note that all components must be passed.

Assessment criteria:

fail – 0-59 %

satisfactory – 60-69 %

satisfactory plus – 70-75 %

good – 76-85 %

good plus – 86-90 %

very good – 91-100 %

N/A