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| Semester | fall semester 2022 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Ina Habermann (ina.habermann@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Few authors will thank you for labelling their work 'middlebrow', since this is often a way of damning a work with faint praise, and effectively classifying it as second rate. However, middlebrow fiction is widely read, and as the scholar Q.D. Leavis states, helps people 'with the business of living'. In this seminar, we will take the 'middlebrow' seriously, explore it as a theoretical concept and discuss some influential examples of twentieth-century middlebrow fiction. We will first look at the earlier part of the century, when middlebrow fiction emerged as a phenomenon often related to female writers, and then proceed to discuss with the help of representative examples how the middlebrow lives on in later decades. |
| Learning objectives | Students will improve their skill in critical analysis and will reflect on issues such as style, literary value judgements and the cultural significance of fiction. Seminar discussions will provide the basis and frame for independent research. |
| Bibliography | Texts (to be purchased): Dorothy Sayers, "Gaudy Night" (1936) Nancy Mitford, "The Pursuit of Love" (1945) Rose Macaulay, "The Towers of Trebizond" (1956) Nick Hornby, "High Fidelity" (1995) Zadie Smith, "White Teeth" (2000) Further material will be made available on the ADAM server. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | For MA students. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Tuesday | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 20.09.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 27.09.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 04.10.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 11.10.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 18.10.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 25.10.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 01.11.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 08.11.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 15.11.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 22.11.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 29.11.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 06.12.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 13.12.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 20.12.2022 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Modules |
Modul: Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Literatur- und kulturwissenschaftliche Forschung (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Modul: Literaturgeschichte (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Modul: Research in Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Regular attendance, active participation, presentation |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Englische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |