British Literature 1950-2000

About this course

The course studies Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood, John Fowles’s The French Lieutenant’s Woman, Seamus Heaney’s North, Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa and Jackie Kay’s Trumpet. Discussion links these works to national identity, literary form, gender, political change, conflict, ritual and memory across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Teaching combines tutor presentations with pair and group activities, close reading, class discussion and mixed media such as photographs and audio interviews. The texts include poetry, drama and fiction, allowing comparison between different genres and approaches.

What you'll learn

• Analyse how national identity is represented in literature from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
• Compare similarities and differences between writers from the four home nations
• Discuss literary styles and themes in selected novels, poems and plays published between 1950 and 2000

Is this course right for you?

The course is intended for anyone who enjoys reading and discussing literature. It involves sharing ideas, listening to other viewpoints and taking part in pair, group and whole-class activities. Learners should be prepared to read five main texts as part of their preparation.

• Requires reading five main course texts before or alongside the relevant classes

Before you go

• Learners need to buy or borrow copies of the five main texts. Any edition is suitable.
• Preparation consists of reading the five main texts; further reading may be suggested by the tutor.