CLS2790

Postmodernism and the novel

(ART)

Millicent Vladiv-Glover

8 points + 2 hours per week + First semester + Clayton

Synopsis: The subject will focus on the dominant themes and motifs in contemporary Australian, American and European fiction in order to answer the question: what is postmodernism? The subject will raise issues such as the relationship of postmodernism to its antecedents in European literature and culture, the place of the novel in the contemporary critical debate, and the relationship of narrative to knowledge and the legitimation of meaning. Various aspects of the contemporary novel, such as the 'exotic,' the 'erotic' and the 'shocking,' will be examined in concrete textual analysis and in the context of the new poetics of 'magic realism,' aesthetic pluralism and a 'zero' subject.

Assessment: One seminar paper (1500 words): 25% + Essay (3000 words): 45% + Test (90 minutes): 30%