From Queenie to Normal People: Millennial Literature and Modern Life

About this course

The course examines how contemporary writing represents adulthood, including mental health, relationships, social media and burnout. It considers how gender, race, class and sexuality complicate ideas of a shared millennial experience, using Queenie and Normal People as central texts alongside Assembly, My Phantoms, Fleabag, selected work by Michaela Coel and Taylor Swift’s lyrics. Sessions combine short talks, close reading and group discussion. Learners will compare literary and popular-cultural representations and assess whether “millennial literature” is a useful category for understanding contemporary writing.

What you'll learn

• Discuss a range of contemporary novels and cultural texts
• Compare representations of millennial experience across literature and popular culture
• Assess critically the usefulness of “millennial literature” as a category
• Relate literary texts to wider social and cultural issues

Is this course right for you?

The course is intended for beginners and does not require previous experience or knowledge. It suits learners interested in 21st-century literature who are prepared to take part in close reading and group discussion.

Before you go

• Preparation before each session is required, including reading the set texts and any supplementary reading provided.
• Learners are encouraged to borrow or buy the two core texts: Candice Carty-Williams’s Queenie and Sally Rooney’s Normal People.
• Selected extracts and shorter supplementary texts will be provided during the course.
• Bring a pen or pencil for notes.