Module Content and Indicative Topics

This module aims to develop the skills required to analyse and contextualise literary prose. The texts to be studied are predominantly Nordic (in English translation), selected from the long and rich tradition of Nordic folk, fairy and fantastic tales, from Medieval ballads to Gothic tales and postmodern short stories, animated and fantasy film. More generally, the module will investigate a variety of narrative components (e.g. narrator, character, genre, theme), and will explore why storytelling has been and continues to be a central human activity, how it has changed over time and how stories reflect changing conceptions of Nordic societies, cultures and identities. The module will introduce students to a broad range of theories and methods in literary studies including narratology, gender studies, print culture and monster studies.

Teaching Delivery

This module is taught in seminars which may include short lectures, group discussions and student presentations. You will usually be asked to read a selection of literary and critical texts in preparation for seminars.

This course aims to develop the skills required to analyse and contextualise literary prose at an intermediate to advanced level;

To investigate folk-, fairy- and fantastic tales, drama and novels with their variety of narrative components (e.g. narrator, character, genre, theme, dialogue) using a broad range of theories and methods in literary studies including narratology, psychology, gender studies, genre studies, monster studies and media studies;
 To gain a critical understanding of the social function and art of storytelling in the Nordic languages and literatures from Early Modern folk tales to contemporary popular novels;
 To enhance communicative skills in verbal presentation and academic writing
Recommended Reading

Reading materials and a guide for locating texts to be studied in the module will be made available on Moodle. Primary texts to be studied may include a selection of Nordic folk tales, Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale ‘The Little Mermaid’ (1837), the Norwegian film Trollhunter (2010) and the Swedish vampire novel Let the Right One In (2004). In preparation for the module, we advise reading the following core texts:

Monika Fludernik, An Introduction to Narratology (Routledge, 2009)
 Andrew Bennett & Nicholas Royle, An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory (Pearson, 2009).
 Marina Warner, Managing Monsters (Vintage 1994)
 Fred Botting, Gothic (Routledge, 2014)
 John Lindow, Trolls: An Unnatural History (Reaktion Books, 2014)