Contemporary Realisms

Credits: 15.0

Overlap: None

Prerequisite: None

The question of how fiction-writers can evoke the experiential realities of people¿s social and intimate lives is one that has ignited debates about the novel since the nineteenth century. But what does realism look like today? Is it preferable to speak not of realism but of a proliferation of multiple realisms, moving across diverse genres and thematic situations? This module explores the perpetually evolving relationship between the theoretical, philosophical and political claims of realist representation and literary fiction since 1980. Among the topics it will invite you to investigate are: realism¿s changing social and aesthetic capabilities; realism¿s radical adaptation by feminist writing and by the `novel of ideas¿; the reinvention of realism in historical fiction; and the relations between realism, testimony and new innovations in life-writing and autobiography. A module pack will accompany the syllabus, providing access to key critical resources for engaging with realism's literary history and on-going theorization.

Assessment: 100.0% Coursework

Level: 6