NPTEL Phase II :: Humanities and Social Sciences

Untitled Document

COURSE OUTLINE

The course aims to study contemporary literature in all its diversity. It examines genres, the 21st century novel, contemporary innovations, postcolonial literatures, postmodern poetics, plays, and theories and techniques of contemporary drama.

Designed to develop advanced understanding of cultural, social, intellectual and aesthetic contexts, it allows students to engage with some of the most exciting writings of the post WWII era.

COURSE DETAIL

Lecture No.	Topic
1	Defining the Postmodern
2	The English Patient Introduction Life of Michael Ondaatje
3	The English Patient The story The text
4	The English Patient Narrative Themes & style
5	The English Patient Characterization Conclusion
6	Introduction to Drama
7	The Dumb Waiter Introduction Harold Pinter: Life & works
8	The Dumb Waiter The story The text
9	The Dumb Waiter Narrative Themes & style
10	The Fall Life of Albert Camus
11	The Fall Story Text
12	The Fall Narrative Themes & style Characterization Conclusion
13	Introduction to Short Story Salman Rushdie’s The Firebird
14	Introduction to Short Story Hanif Kureishi’s A Meeting, at Last
15	Six Degrees of Separation Life & times of John Guarre Influences
16	Six Degrees of Separation Introduction Story
17	Six Degrees of Separation Themes Techniques
18	Contd…
19	Six Degrees of Separation Conclusion
20	Clara Introduction Life of Arthur Miller
21	Clara Story Text
22	Clara Narrative Themes & style Characterization Conclusion
23	Asian-American Literature Introduction
24	Asian-American Literature
25	Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club
26	Contd…
27	Dogg’s Hamlet, Cahoot’s Macbeth Life of Tom Stoppard Stoppard’s Influences
28	Dogg’s Hamlet, Cahoot’s Macbeth Introduction Story
29	Dogg’s Hamlet, Cahoot’s Macbeth Themes Techniques
30	Contd….
31	Dogg’s Hamlet, Cahoot’s Macbeth Characterization Conclusion
32	The Remains of the Day Introduction Life of Kazuo Ishiguro
33	The Remains of the Day The story The text
34	The Remains of the Day Themes Techniques
35	The Remains of the Day Characterization Conclusion
36	Nagamandala Introduction Life of Girish Karnad
37	Nagamandala Story Text
38	Nagamandala Conclusion
39	Selected Poems: Introduction to Poetry Philip Larkin: Ambulances Pablo Neruda: Ode to Clothes Adrienne Rich: Rape and Amnesia Ted Hughes: The Thought Fox Michael Ondaatje: Application for a Driving License
40	Maya Angelou Life and works On the Pulse of the Morning Themes & style

PREREQUISITES

Familiarity with contemporary world literature.

REFERENCES

Camus, Albert. The Fall. London: Penguin, 1963.
Guare, John. Six Degrees of Separation. New York: Vintage, 1994.
Ishiguro, Kazuo. The Remains of the Day. New York: Vintage, 1993.
Karnad, Girish. Nagamandala. New Delhi: OUP, 1990.
Kureishi, Hanif. “A Meeting, At Last”. In Telling Tales. Nadine Gordimer (ed). London: Bloomsbury, 2004.
Miller, Arthur. Clara. In Plays: Four. London: Methuen, 1981.
Ondaatje, Michael. The English Patient. London: Picador, 1992.
Pinter, Harold. The Dumb Waiter. In Complete Works of Harold Pinter. Vol 1 . New York: Grove, 1994.
Rushdie, Salman. “Firebird”. In Telling Tales.
Stoppard, Tom. Dogg’s Hamlet, Cahoot’s Macbeth. London: Faber & Faber, 1980.
Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. New York: Vintage, 1998.