ATS2915 - The roots of fantasy - 2018

The unit is designed to introduce students to the origins of modern high fantasy via a range of major English texts from the early-Modern to the late-Modern period. The unit includes a selection of verse and prose narratives which use fairy and folk tale, myth and legend, the supernatural, weird, uncanny and marvellous to represent an idealised past, criticise the present and to explore the unconscious.

Students successfully completing this subject will be able to identify:

1. key characteristics of fantasy;
2. the historical development, and the range of historical manifestations, of fantasy;
3. the literary, social and cultural roots, and the impact, of fantasy;
4. key critical debates concerning a range of fantasy genres;
5. the relevance of these debates to the course-texts as well as to modern works of high fantasy.

   Students successfully completing this subject will also be able to:

6. argue their interpretations clearly and persuasively in oral and essay form;
7. communicate fruitfully in discussion;
8. demonstrate skill in identifying and using a range of original texts, scholarly editions and digital archives.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information

Literary studies