Modern World Literature, 1900-1950: Modernism and Modernity

Course Details

Course Number: ENGL 4943/5943  Section Number: 101

Fall 2011

Location: Prothro-Yeager Hall

Classroom Number: 201

Days & Times:

MWF 9-9:50

Course Attachments

Syllabus  modernlitsyllabus-20120312-115501.pdf

Textbooks
MSU Faculty Member
Dr. Kirsten  Lodge   
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Course Objectives

 

What is “modernity”?  What is “modernism”?  In this course we will discuss these elusive terms 

and how they apply to world literature of the first half of the twentieth century.  In the first half of 

the course, we will focus on literary techniques and thematic concerns of well-known individual 

works, and in the second half we will survey the various “-isms” of the avant-garde and speculate 

on their interrelations.  We will discuss the works in relation to one another and to the broad 

concepts of “modernity” and “modernism.”  In this process, students will acquire a solid 

knowledge of modern classics and improve their close-reading and interpretative skills.  We will 

examine these literary texts within their cultural and historical contexts, relating them to the other 

arts (e.g., the fine arts, ballet, and film) and to influential philosophical and scientific trends (e.g., 

Friedrich Nietzsche, Henri Bergson, Sigmund Freud, and Albert Einstein).  We will discuss 

diverse genres, including the novel, the novella, the short story, poetry, and drama, by both 

Western and non-Western writers, endeavoring both to define their differences and identify their 

common concerns.  All readings are in translation. 


Final Exam12/5/2011  8-10 a.m.

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