English Literature: 19th and 20th Centuries
Instructor: SUSANA CORDES
Schedule: Four sessions – Fridays in September, 18:00–19:30
Language of instruction: English
$65.000 argentinos y residentes argentinos.
USD65 para extranjeros
Course Description
This course offers a guided exploration of major works and authors of English literature from the nineteenth to the twentieth century. Through the study of selected texts, participants will gain a broad overview of key literary movements—including
Romanticism, the Gothic novel, Modernism, and Postmodernism. From the haunting landscapes of the Gothic imagination to the psychological depth of Modernism and the playful self-awareness of Postmodern fiction, the course examines how literature responds to—and reshapes—the cultural and historical contexts in which it emerges.
The programme is designed for readers who wish to approach English literature through a structured and accessible framework. Rather than attempting an exhaustive survey, the
course focuses on a carefully selected group of canonical works that have played a significant role in shaping the literary tradition of the British Isles.
It should be noted that the term English literature does not refer exclusively to works produced within a single nation. Instead, it encompasses texts written in the English language across different regions and cultural contexts, including voices emerging from the former colonial “periphery,” such as India, Africa, and the Caribbean. This broader perspective allows us to consider how literary forms circulate within diverse historical
and cultural settings.
Throughout the sessions, we will analyse how narrative forms evolve in relation to historical contexts, examining the position of these texts within the literary and cultural
systems in which they operate.
Course Outline
Session 1 – The Nineteenth-Century Novel
Historical context and innovations in narrative voice.
Readings include:
– Wuthering Heights – Emily Brontë
– Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë
– Frankenstein – Mary Shelley
Session 2 – The Modernist Novel
Narrative experimentation and the transformation of subjectivity.
Readings include:
– Dubliners – James Joyce
– Orlando – Virginia Woolf
Session 3 – Post-War Fiction and Feminist Criticism
Revisions of narrative tradition and gender perspectives.
Readings include:
– The Magic Toyshop – Angela Carter
– The Bloody Chamber – Angela Carter
Session 4 – Postmodernism
Historical metafiction and narrative self-reflection.
Reading:
– The French Lieutenant’s Woman – John Fowles
Dictado por:
Susana Cordes
Licenciada en Letras de Facultad de Filosofía y Letras (UBA), Traductora y Profesora Nacional de Inglés egresada de IESP Lenguas Vivas “Juan Ramón Fernández”. Trabajó como docente del Departamento de Lenguas Modernas de la Facultad de Filosofía y Letras (UBA). Ex docente de la Carrera de Traductorado Literario de la Universidad del Museo Social Argentino (UMSA) y ex-docente de Teoria y Crítica Literaria en la Licenciatura en Lengua Inglesa de la Universidad de San Martín (UNSAM). Investigación: Literaturas comparadas y Literatura mundial.
Licenciate of Letters from Faculty of Philosophy and Letters , University of Buenos Aires (UBA), Translator and National English Teacher of the IESP Lenguas Vivas «Juan Ramón Fernández». Teacher of the Department of Modern Languages of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters (UBA). Former Professor of English and Spanish Literature in the Universidad del Museo Social Argentino (UMSA) and Professor of Literary Theory in Universidad de San Martín (UNSAM). Diploma Examiner of World Literature of International Baccalaureate.