LITR363

(Formerly LITR 310) The 19th century is often seen as the era in which the novel established itself, taking on a certain form and a certain prominence. While its importance as a genre only continued to increase over the 20th and 21st centuries, that genre has changed in many important ways. This course is designed to explore some of the novel's most striking changes in form and in content over the course of the 20th and 21st centuries. Such changes are best studied from a comparative perspective; accordingly, we will examine how writers from several countries manipulate the structure of the novel to accommodate their thematic concerns and their artistic visions. We will acquaint ourselves with some of the important literary movements of the 20th century as they are exemplified in the works listed in the syllabus. And we will consider how these novels reflect the cultural concerns of their times. (The book list will be subject to change; we may study other, equally important and/or representative works in other semesters.) This course will help students to further develop their critical and close reading skills, and their research skills. By participating in class discussions, preparing and giving presentations, and writing papers, students will also learn to express themselves more clearly and precisely.