British literature: 1900-1950

City Lit

Course

In London

£ 109 VAT inc.

The best Literature courses

See all

See all

Description

  • Type

    Course

  • Location

    London

  • Start date

    Different dates available

The first half of the twentieth century was a period of unprecedented social, political and psychological change in Britain. Writers responded by tackling the major concerns of the time, such as fading empire, national identity, two world wars and political movements like fascism and socialism, with a huge variety of innovative literary responses that also sought to convey the impact of such change on the individual psyche. On this course we will study some of the most important texts of the period, beginning with E. M. Forster’s subtle dissection of the late Edwardian era, Howards End, and concluding with Elizabeth Bowen’s unsettling stories of London during the Blitz. In between we will closely read Virginia Woolf’s masterly study of post-WWI London society, Mrs Dalloway, and get a taste of the exciting new poets who emerged in the 1930s, including Stevie Smith and W. H. Auden.

Facilities

Location

Start date

London
See map
Keeley Street, Covent Garden, WC2B 4BA

Start date

Different dates availableEnrolment now open

About this course

• Discuss significant British novels, stories and poems from the first half of the twentieth century
• Understand the ways in which these texts both reflect and embody social, political and psychological change
• Recognise the techniques and styles of some of the most important writers of the period.

Please buy or borrow copies of Howards End and Mrs Dalloway, ideally in the following editions:
• Howards End: Penguin Classics, 2000. ISBN 9780141182131
• Mrs Dalloway: Vintage, 2004. ISBN 9780099470458
The poems will be provided.
Copies of the short stories by Elizabeth Bowen will be provided, but if you would like to read more I recommend the Collected Stories with an introduction by Angus Wilson, Vintage 1999, ISBN 9780099287735.

The classes will be participatory and interactive, with class discussion, pair and group work and close reading exercises. We will make use of mixed media including film and artworks along with the texts themselves. Your own responses and ideas will be to the fore, but with expert guidance on hand from the tutor.

Questions & Answers

Add your question

Our advisors and other users will be able to reply to you

Who would you like to address this question to?

Fill in your details to get a reply

We will only publish your name and question

Reviews

Subjects

  • British Literature
  • Art

Course programme

• Week 1 – Manners, Morals and Liberal Guilt: E. M. Forster, Howards End (1910)
• Week 2 – Who Shall Inherit England? E. M. Forster, Howards End (1910)
• Week 3 – Being and Time in Post-War London: Virginia Woolf, Mrs Dalloway (1925)
• Week 4 – How to Critique the Social System: Virginia Woolf, Mrs Dalloway (1925)
• Week 5 - Industrial Technology, Political Upheaval and the Threat of War: 1930s Poets
• Week 6 – Psychologies of the Blitz: Elizabeth Bowen, selected short stories.

Additional information

Look for other literature courses under Literature in History, Culture and Writing at General information and advice on courses at City Lit is available from the Student Centre and Library on Monday to Friday from 12:00 – 19:00. See the course guide for term dates and further details

See related categories

British literature: 1900-1950

£ 109 VAT inc.

The best Literature courses

See all

See all