This course covers literature written in English (excluding American literature) from 1900 to the mid-20th C., including texts of ongoing influence produced in an era of waning Western imperialism, two world wars, a series of post-colonial rebellions, women’s suffrage, and the growth of a class system that provided the economic infrastructure of contemporary consumerist society. The industrial revolution of the late 1900s, and the scientific revolution that followed closely after culminated in the mid-20th C. and the first use of nuclear weapons. The literature of this half-century begins with experiments in Modernist innovation, while the decades that followed saw the increase in diasporic texts written in English, as post-colonialism and multi-cultural consciousness grew. The groundwork for many contemporary social and cultural issues can be traced to the first half of the 20th C., as reflected in literature written in English.
Class evaluation will be based on an in-class Midterm (20%), an in-class Final Exam (30%), and two analytical papers (4 pages each) (20% per paper). Participation counts 10% toward the final grade, and attendance will also be a factor in evaluation.
Text: (At UH Bookstore):
The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Package 1, Volumes A,B and C
ISBN 9780393933659.