LGERM 1124

English Literature: Critical Approaches

1. Literature and genres

[email protected]
English Literature: Critical Approaches
the course consists of 3 main parts in terms of course materials
1. lectures: please take notes + participate in exercises
study the slides on Moodle + ask questions if necessary

2
English Literature: Critical Approaches
the course consists of 3 main parts in terms of course materials
1. lectures: please take notes + participate in exercises
study the slides on Moodle + ask questions if necessary
2. case studies: poems (Franny Choi), 1 short story (Ted Chiang), 1
play (Lolita Chakrabarti), 1 novel (Lydia Millet) > la Duc / Moodle
please read these texts before the lecture/workshop/exam

3
4
English Literature: Critical Approaches
the course consists of 3 main parts in terms of course materials
1. lectures: please take notes + participate in exercises
study the slides on Moodle + ask questions if necessary
2. case studies: poems (Franny Choi), 1 short story (Ted Chiang), 1
play (Lolita Chakrabarti), 1 novel (Lydia Millet) > la Duc / Moodle
please read these texts before the lecture/workshop/exam
3. two workshops, related to poetry & short stories (not mandatory)
dates: March 1st & April 27th, 16.15-18.15, MORE 52 & 53

5
English Literature: Critical Approaches
the course consists of 3 main parts in terms of course materials
1. lectures: please take notes + participate in exercises
study the slides on Moodle + ask questions if necessary
2. case studies: poems (Franny Choi), 1 short story (Ted Chiang), 1
play (Lolita Chakrabarti), 1 novel (Lydia Millet) > la Duc / Moodle
please read these texts before the lecture/workshop/exam
3. two workshops, related to poetry & short stories (not mandatory)
dates: March 1st & April 27th, 16.15-18.15, MORE 52 & 53
4*. online exercises to practice basic terminology, these are new
and an experiment this year (again, please provide feedback)

6
English Literature: Critical Approaches

the course consists of 3 main parts in terms of content/skills

● a brief introduction to the main genres of English literature

novels, poems, plays, short stories

7
English Literature: Critical Approaches

the course consists of 3 main parts in terms of content/skills

● a brief introduction to the main genres of English literature

novels, poems, plays, short stories
● a brief intro to the main critical approaches in literary studies
focus on text, author, reader, context (different ‘-isms’)

8
English Literature: Critical Approaches

the course consists of 3 main parts in terms of content/skills

● a brief introduction to the main genres of English literature

novels, poems, plays, short stories
● a brief intro to the main critical approaches in literary studies
focus on text, author, reader, context (different ‘-isms’)
● a brief intro to and application of literary analysis
identify and explain the form, structure, genre etc of a text

9
English Literature: Critical Approaches

the course consists of 3 main parts in terms of content/skills

● a brief introduction to the main genres of English literature

novels, poems, plays, short stories
● a brief intro to the main critical approaches in literary studies
focus on text, author, reader, context (different ‘-isms’)
● a brief intro to and application of literary analysis
identify and explain the form, structure, genre etc of a text

after this general introduction, historical survey courses in Y2 & Y3

BA literatures in English ca 650-1800 + ca 1800-now
MA courses on climate fiction, graphic novel, utopian literature

10
Overview of the lectures

1. Literature and genres February 7

2. Literary studies & close reading February 14
3. Poetry and formalism February 21
4. Narrative and structuralism February 28 workshop 1
5. Novels and characters March 7
6. Drama and media March 14
7. Texts and contexts, part 1 March 21
8. Case study: Red Velvet March 28
9. Authors and readers April 18
10. Texts and contexts, part 2 April 25 workshop 2
11. [Texts and contexts] May 2
12. Animals and ecocriticism May 9
13. Case study: A Children’s Bible May 16

11
English Literature: Critical Approaches

you can expect different types of questions on the exam

this will be a written exam that takes ca. two hours

12
English Literature: Critical Approaches

you can expect different types of questions on the exam

this will be a written exam that takes ca. two hours

● specialized terms: you should be able to identify (recognize)

genres/techniques/… + to define (explain) in your own words

● broader arguments: able to summarize arguments about

author/novel etc + compare/reflect on terms/arguments

● textual analysis: able to use knowledge of terms/techniques/

arguments to analyze excerpts from texts (incl new ones!)

13
English Literature: Critical Approaches

you can expect different types of questions on the exam

this will be a written exam that takes ca. two hours

● specialized terms: you should be able to identify (recognize)

genres/techniques/… + to define (explain) in your own words

● broader arguments: able to summarize arguments about

author/novel etc + compare/reflect on terms/arguments

● textual analysis: able to use knowledge of terms/techniques/

arguments to analyze excerpts from texts (incl new ones!)

the exam is not easy, so please do the exercises & ask questions

14
Before we get started, three questions for everyone

15
1. Literature and genres

1.1. Instagram and the canon

1.2. What is literature? Forms and contents

1.3. Fiction and nonfiction

1.4. What is literature? Genres and functions

1.5. Imagined communities

16
1.1. Instagram and the canon
English Literature: Critical Approaches > what is English literature? &
what are critical approaches? > today: what is ‘literature’?

18
English Literature: Critical Approaches > what is English literature? &
what are critical approaches? > today: what is ‘literature’?
not just academic question, see debate on ‘Insta-poetry’ & Rupi Kaur
popular short, accessible poems ‘revitalizing poetry’ yet ‘not poetry’:
taboos yet 1) superficial, 2) glamour, 3) enjambment, 4) handwriting

19
English Literature: Critical Approaches > what is English literature? &
what are critical approaches? > today: what is ‘literature’?
not just academic question, see debate on ‘Insta-poetry’ & Rupi Kaur
popular short, accessible poems ‘revitalizing poetry’ yet ‘not poetry’:
1) taboos yet superficial, 2) glamour, 3) enjambment, 4) handwriting

20
21
English Literature: Critical Approaches > what is English literature? &
what are critical approaches? > today: what is ‘literature’?
not just academic question, see debate on ‘Insta-poetry’ & Rupi Kaur
popular short, accessible poems ‘revitalizing poetry’ yet ‘not poetry’:
1) taboos yet superficial, 2) glamour, 3) enjambment, 4) handwriting

x meaning of ‘literature’ is clear to most people, but it is hard to

define explicitly because it is diverse, so often exceptions to the rule

22
English Literature: Critical Approaches > what is English literature? &
what are critical approaches? > today: what is ‘literature’?
not just academic question, see debate on ‘Insta-poetry’ & Rupi Kaur
popular short, accessible poems ‘revitalizing poetry’ yet ‘not poetry’:
1) taboos yet superficial, 2) glamour, 3) enjambment, 4) handwriting

x meaning of ‘literature’ is clear to most people, but it is hard to

define explicitly because it is diverse, so often exceptions to the rule
x ‘literature’ is also hard to define explicitly because it has changed
throughout history, so definition should be dynamic rather than static

23
English Literature: Critical Approaches > what is English literature? &
what are critical approaches? > today: what is ‘literature’?
not just academic question, see debate on ‘Insta-poetry’ & Rupi Kaur
popular short, accessible poems ‘revitalizing poetry’ yet ‘not poetry’:
1) taboos yet superficial, 2) glamour, 3) enjambment, 4) handwriting

x meaning of ‘literature’ is clear to most people, but it is hard to

define explicitly because it is diverse, so often exceptions to the rule
x ‘literature’ is also hard to define explicitly because it has changed
throughout history, so definition should be dynamic rather than static
x ‘literature’ is also hard to define because definitions seem to be
descriptive but are often normative: not what L is what L should be

24
English Literature: Critical Approaches > what is English literature? &
what are critical approaches? > today: what is ‘literature’?
not just academic question, see debate on ‘Insta-poetry’ & Rupi Kaur
popular short, accessible poems ‘revitalizing poetry’ yet ‘not poetry’:
1) taboos yet superficial, 2) glamour, 3) enjambment, 4) handwriting

x meaning of ‘literature’ is clear to most people, but it is hard to

define explicitly because it is diverse, so often exceptions to the rule
x ‘literature’ is also hard to define explicitly because it has changed
throughout history, so definition should be dynamic rather than static
x ‘literature’ is also hard to define because definitions seem to be
descriptive but are often normative: not what L is what L should be
> defs of lit 1) are hard, 2) they fluctuate, 3) are value judgments too

25
English Literature: Critical Approaches > what is English literature? &
what are critical approaches? > today: what is ‘literature’?
not just academic question, see debate on ‘Insta-poetry’ & Rupi Kaur
popular short, accessible poems ‘revitalizing poetry’ yet ‘not poetry’:
1) taboos yet superficial, 2) glamour, 3) enjambment, 4) handwriting

x meaning of ‘literature’ is clear to most people, but it is hard to

define explicitly because it is diverse, so often exceptions to the rule
x ‘literature’ is also hard to define explicitly because it has changed
throughout history, so definition should be dynamic rather than static
x ‘literature’ is also hard to define because definitions seem to be
descriptive but are often normative: not what L is what L should be
> defs of lit 1) are hard, 2) they fluctuate, 3) are value judgments too
related to the notion of the canon (not a cannon!)
26
one way in which we can define literature is via central/accepted
examples, so in terms of the so-called ‘canon’

27
one way in which we can define literature is via central/accepted
examples, so in terms of the so-called ‘canon’
x the canon is a list of so-called ‘great books’ we should read and
admire (schools, universities) & they are important because other
readers believe they are important, they assume we know them,
and they help to define ‘literary value’ (see literary prizes)

28
29
one way in which we can define literature is via central/accepted
examples, so in terms of the so-called ‘canon’
x the canon is a list of so-called ‘great books’ we should read and
admire (schools, universities) & they are important because other
readers believe they are important, they assume we know them,
and they help to define ‘literary value’ (see literary prizes)
x the term was first used by the Christian Church to distinguish true
sources of divine revelation from non-authentic/non-authoritative
ones

30
one way in which we can define literature is via central/accepted
examples, so in terms of the so-called ‘canon’
x the canon is a list of so-called ‘great books’ we should read and
admire (schools, universities) & they are important because other
readers believe they are important, they assume we know them,
and they help to define ‘literary value’ (see literary prizes)
x the term was first used by the Christian Church to distinguish true
sources of divine revelation from non-authentic/non-authoritative
ones > then ‘canon’ used to refer to a list/rank of most important
genres

31
one way in which we can define literature is via central/accepted
examples, so in terms of the so-called ‘canon’
x the canon is a list of so-called ‘great books’ we should read and
admire (schools, universities) & they are important because other
readers believe they are important, they assume we know them,
and they help to define ‘literary value’ (see literary prizes)
x the term was first used by the Christian Church to distinguish true
sources of divine revelation from non-authentic/non-authoritative
ones > then ‘canon’ used to refer to a list/rank of most important
genres > then a list/rank of best writers (‘monuments of nation’)

32
one way in which we can define literature is via central/accepted
examples, so in terms of the so-called ‘canon’
x the canon is a list of so-called ‘great books’ we should read and
admire (schools, universities) & they are important because other
readers believe they are important, they assume we know them,
and they help to define ‘literary value’ (see literary prizes)
x the term was first used by the Christian Church to distinguish true
sources of divine revelation from non-authentic/non-authoritative
ones > then ‘canon’ used to refer to a list/rank of most important
genres > then a list/rank of best writers (‘monuments of nation’)
x the canon is important but disputed too, because the process by
which texts are chosen to be part of the canon depends upon
(questionable) ideas of authority and nationalism

33
one way in which we can define literature is via central/accepted
examples, so in terms of the so-called ‘canon’ (or canons?)
x the canon is a list of so-called ‘great books’ we should read and
admire (schools, universities) & they are important because other
readers believe they are important, they assume we know them,
and they help to define ‘literary value’ (see literary prizes)
x the term was first used by the Christian Church to distinguish true
sources of divine revelation from non-authentic/non-authoritative
ones > then ‘canon’ used to refer to a list/rank of most important
genres > then a list/rank of best writers (‘monuments of nation’)
x the canon is important but disputed too, because the process by
which texts are chosen to be part of the canon depends upon
(questionable) ideas of authority and nationalism and leads to the
exclusion of non-canonical texts (vs women, vs genre fiction etc)
34
1.2. What is literature? Forms & contents
‘literature = texts from the canon’ is not a very satisfying definition,
so let’s consider other options & examples linked to

36
‘literature = texts from the canon’ is not a very satisfying definition,
so let’s consider other options & examples linked to
1) form, 2) content, 3) function, 4) genre

37
‘literature = texts from the canon’ is not a very satisfying definition,
so let’s consider other options & examples linked to
1) form, 2) content, 3) function, 4) genre
def 1: many famous examples of ‘literature’ have a particular form,
in the sense that they use complex or unusual language and use
language in a non-instrumental way (not just about message)

38
‘literature = texts from the canon’ is not a very satisfying definition,
so let’s consider other options & examples linked to
1) form, 2) content, 3) function, 4) genre
def 1: many famous examples of ‘literature’ have a particular form,
in the sense that they use complex or unusual language and use
language in a non-instrumental way (not just about message)
so in this definition, a literary work = artistic use of language

39
William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 130” (ca 1590)

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;

Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; a dull, greyish colour
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damasked, red and white, patterned; streaked red & white
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. to smell strongly, unpleasantly
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go; admit; agree
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare as wonderful as any woman who was ever
As any she belied with false compare. misrepresented by an exaggerated comparison

40
‘literature = texts from the canon’ is not a very satisfying definition,
so let’s consider other options & examples linked to
1) form, 2) content, 3) function, 4) genre
def 1: many famous examples of ‘literature’ have a particular form,
in the sense that they use complex or unusual language and use
language in a non-instrumental way (not just about message)
so in this definition, a literary work = artistic use of language
def 2: many famous examples of ‘literature’ represent a specific
content, in the sense that they imitate events and characters in
language & imitate events & characters that are not real

41
‘literature = texts from the canon’ is not a very satisfying definition,
so let’s consider other options & examples linked to
1) form, 2) content, 3) function, 4) genre
def 1: many famous examples of ‘literature’ have a particular form,
in the sense that they use complex or unusual language and use
language in a non-instrumental way (not just about message)
so in this definition, a literary work = artistic use of language
def 2: many famous examples of ‘literature’ represent a specific
content, in the sense that they imitate events and characters in
language & imitate events & characters that are not real
so a literary work = an imitation of fictional events/characters

42
This book is largely concerned with Hobbits, and from its pages a
reader may discover much of their character and a little of their
history. Further information will also be found in the selection
from the Red Book of Westmarch that has already been
published, under the title of The Hobbit. That story was derived
from the earlier chapters of the Red Book, composed by Bilbo
himself, the first Hobbit to become famous in the world at large,
and called by him There and Back Again, since they told of his
journey into the East and his return: an adventure which later
involved all the Hobbits in the great events of that Age that are
here related.
1. Literature and genres

1.1. Instagram and the canon

1.2. What is literature? Forms and contents

1.3. Fiction and nonfiction

1.4. What is literature? Genres and functions

1.5. Imagined communities

44
‘literature = texts from the canon’ is not a very satisfying definition,
so let’s consider other options & examples linked to
1) form, 2) content, 3) function, 4) genre
def 1: many famous examples of ‘literature’ have a particular form,
in the sense that they use complex or unusual language and use
language in a non-instrumental way (not just about message)
so in this definition, a literary work = artistic use of language
def 2: many famous examples of ‘literature’ represent a specific
content, in the sense that they imitate events and characters in
language & imitate events & characters that are not real
so a literary work = an imitation of fictional events/characters
these definitions match canonical cases & our intuitive definition of
lit yet do not work for every literary text + also for non-literary texts

45
‘literature = texts from the canon’ is not a very satisfying definition,
so let’s consider other options & examples linked to
1) form, 2) content, 3) function, 4) genre
def 1: many famous examples of ‘literature’ have a particular form,
in the sense that they use complex or unusual language and use
language in a non-instrumental way (not just about message)
so in this definition, a literary work = artistic use of language
def 2: many famous examples of ‘literature’ represent a specific
content, in the sense that they imitate events and characters in
language & imitate events & characters that are not real
so a literary work = an imitation of fictional events/characters
these definitions match canonical cases & our intuitive definition of
lit yet do not work for every literary text + also for non-literary texts
def 1 works well for poetry - not for novel - also for advertising

46
I was born in the year 1632, in the city of York, of a good family,
though not of that country, my father being a foreigner of Bremen,
who settled first at Hull. He got a good estate by merchandise, and
leaving off his trade, lived afterwards at York, from whence he had
married my mother, whose relations were named Robinson, a very
good family in that country, and from whom I was called Robinson
Kreutznaer;

47
48
‘literature = texts from the canon’ is not a very satisfying definition,
so let’s consider other options & examples linked to
1) form, 2) content, 3) function, 4) genre
def 1: many famous examples of ‘literature’ have a particular form,
in the sense that they use complex or unusual language and use
language in a non-instrumental way (not just about message)
so in this definition, a literary work = artistic use of language
def 2: many famous examples of ‘literature’ represent a specific
content, in the sense that they imitate events and characters in
language & imitate events & characters that are not real
so a literary work = an imitation of fictional events/characters
these definitions match canonical cases & our intuitive definition of
lit yet do not work for every literary text + also for non-literary texts
def 1 works well for poetry - not for novel - also for advertising
def 2 works well for novel - not for autobiography - also for lies
49
‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”

He took his vorpal sword in hand:

Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought. …
1.3. Fiction and nonfiction
what is fiction? (1) there are many similarities between F and NF
what is fiction? (1) there are many similarities between F and NF
nonfiction texts are similar to fiction, because historians are storytellers
too, according to Hayden White
what is fiction? (1) there are many similarities between F and NF
nonfiction texts are similar to fiction, because historians are storytellers
too, according to Hayden White
they turn a simple chronicle of facts into a meaningful narrative
via emplotment: historian will always turn events into a story with a
start/middle/ending, select/stress aspects, provide meaning/pov
what is fiction? (1) there are many similarities between F and NF
nonfiction texts are similar to fiction, because historians are storytellers
too, according to Hayden White
they turn a simple chronicle of facts into a meaningful narrative
via emplotment: historian will always turn events into a story with a
start/middle/ending, select/stress aspects, provide meaning/pov
fictional worlds are similar to reality, because they can never be fully
described by the text and so many of its features will remain implicit
and readers will assume that this new world is similar to reality unless
the text explicitly says otherwise
what is fiction? (1) there are many similarities between F and NF
nonfiction texts are similar to fiction, because historians are storytellers
too, according to Hayden White
they turn a simple chronicle of facts into a meaningful narrative
via emplotment: historian will always turn events into a story with a
start/middle/ending, select/stress aspects, provide meaning/pov
fictional worlds are similar to reality, because they can never be fully
described by the text and so many of its features will remain implicit
and readers will assume that this new world is similar to reality unless
the text explicitly says otherwise, according to Marie-Laure Ryan
this assumption by the reader is the principle of minimal departure
what is fiction? (1) there are many similarities between F and NF
nonfiction texts are similar to fiction, because historians are storytellers
too, according to Hayden White
they turn a simple chronicle of facts into a meaningful narrative
via emplotment: historian will always turn events into a story with a
start/middle/ending, select/stress aspects, provide meaning/pov
fictional worlds are similar to reality, because they can never be fully
described by the text and so many of its features will remain implicit
and readers will assume that this new world is similar to reality unless
the text explicitly says otherwise, according to Marie-Laure Ryan
this assumption by the reader is the principle of minimal departure
the events, characters and even world of a story might be unreal but
they never break fully with our existing knowledge of world/people
f.ex. dragons, James Bond … but still gravity, shoes etc
what is fiction? (2) there are also differences between F and NF
what is fiction? (2) there are also differences between F and NF
reading nonfiction is different from reading fiction: you will approach a
text as one or the other because they call for different attitudes
what is fiction? (2) there are also differences between F and NF
reading nonfiction is different from reading fiction: you will approach a
text as one or the other because they call for different attitudes
x we expect that NF tries to express the truth of actual events and
that it can be checked, so nonfiction has a referential function
what is fiction? (2) there are also differences between F and NF
reading nonfiction is different from reading fiction: you will approach a
text as one or the other because they call for different attitudes
x we expect that NF tries to express the truth of actual events and
that it can be checked, so nonfiction has a referential function
x but we do not try to check the truth of fiction yet accept its rules
so to read fiction = a ‘willing suspension of disbelief’ (Coleridge)
what is fiction? (2) there are also differences between F and NF
reading nonfiction is different from reading fiction: you will approach a
text as one or the other because they call for different attitudes
x we expect that NF tries to express the truth of actual events and
that it can be checked, so nonfiction has a referential function
x but we do not try to check the truth of fiction yet accept its rules
so to read fiction = a ‘willing suspension of disbelief’ (Coleridge)
some scholars have argued that it is impossible to decide whether a
text is fiction or nonfiction on the basis of the properties of the text
(1) Charles Darwin saddled his favorite horse and rode him hard
to Josiah Wedgwood’s estate in Staffordshire. … Never in his
twenty-two years had he felt more wretched. And to think that
only a week ago he had been serenely contented, ...

(2) Under the game laws, then strict and fiercely enforced, you
had to be “qualified” to shoot game. Darwin was, by virtue of
his father’s ownership of land. He wrote: “I became
passionately fond of shooting …”. He remembered “killing my
first snipe …”.
what is fiction? (2) there are also differences between F and NF
reading nonfiction is different from reading fiction: you will approach a
text as one or the other because they call for different attitudes
x we expect that NF tries to express the truth of actual events and
that it can be checked, so nonfiction has a referential function
x but we do not try to check the truth of fiction yet accept its rules
so to read fiction = a ‘willing suspension of disbelief’ (Coleridge)
some scholars have argued that it is impossible to decide whether a
text is fiction or nonfiction on the basis of the properties of the text
yet Dorrit Cohn: readers expect nonfiction to be referential and
the author of a nonfiction text is the same as the narrator so NF
can never have access to the unspoken thoughts/feelings of others
so in NF, you need to use ‘formulas of speculation’ to introduce
these thoughts/feelings (f.ex. ‘surely Darwin must have thought’)
yet also note: fiction and nonfiction can experiment with boundaries
what is fiction? (2) there are also differences between F and NF
reading nonfiction is different from reading fiction: you will approach a
text as one or the other because they call for different attitudes
x we expect that NF tries to express the truth of actual events and
that it can be checked, so nonfiction has a referential function
x but we do not try to check the truth of fiction yet accept its rules
so to read fiction = a ‘willing suspension of disbelief’ (Coleridge)
some scholars have argued that it is impossible to decide whether a
text is fiction or nonfiction on the basis of the properties of the text
yet Dorrit Cohn: readers expect nonfiction to be referential and
the author of a nonfiction text is the same as the narrator so NF
cannot have access to the unspoken thoughts/feelings of others
1.4. What is literature? Genres & functions
definition of literature by appealing to the canon or by referring to
1) content, 2) form, 3) genres, 4) function

69
definition of literature by appealing to the canon or by referring to
1) content, 2) form, 3) genres, 4) function
we have seen that a definition in terms of content works well for the
novel and in terms of form works well for poetry, but very different &
some argue that ‘the novel is closer to news than to lyric poetry’
‘the lyric poem is closer to prayer than to the historical novel’

70
definition of literature by appealing to the canon or by referring to
1) content, 2) form, 3) genres, 4) function
we have seen that a definition in terms of content works well for the
novel and in terms of form works well for poetry, but very different &
some argue that ‘the novel is closer to news than to lyric poetry’
‘the lyric poem is closer to prayer than to the historical novel’
so another strategy is not to look for a definition of ‘literature’ as an
abstract, general category but to define the rules of individual
genres (such as the love letter, the sonnet, the western etc) instead
so a literary work = a text that fits into one of many genres

71
definition of literature by appealing to the canon or by referring to
1) content, 2) form, 3) genres, 4) function
we have seen that a definition in terms of content works well for the
novel and in terms of form works well for poetry, but very different &
some argue that ‘the novel is closer to news than to lyric poetry’
‘the lyric poem is closer to prayer than to the historical novel’
so another strategy is not to look for a definition of ‘literature’ as an
abstract, general category but to define the rules of individual
genres (such as the love letter, the sonnet, the western etc) instead
so a literary work = a text that fits into one of many genres
what is a genre? a conventional group of literary texts with similar
characteristics (typical form, characters, sequence of events) + the
knowledge of these literary kinds helps authors to produce texts
(recipes) & readers to process them (expectations), ‘like a contract’

72
definition of literature by appealing to the canon or by referring to
1) content, 2) form, 3) genres, 4) function
we have seen that a definition in terms of content works well for the
novel and in terms of form works well for poetry, but very different &
some argue that ‘the novel is closer to news than to lyric poetry’
‘the lyric poem is closer to prayer than to the historical novel’
so another strategy is not to look for a definition of ‘literature’ as an
abstract, general category but to define the rules of individual
genres (such as the love letter, the sonnet, the western etc) instead
so a literary work = a text that fits into one of many genres
what is a genre? a conventional group of literary texts with similar
characteristics (typical form, characters, sequence of events) + the
knowledge of these literary kinds helps authors to produce texts
(recipes) & readers to process them (expectations), ‘like a contract’
many (sub)genres exist, see course: poetry / novel / theatre
73
74
Hannah Lowe, “The Art of Teaching II” (2021)

Boredom hangs like a low cloud in the classroom.

Each page we read is a step up a mountain
in gluey boots. Even the clock-face is pained
and yes, I’m sure now, ticking slower. If gloom
has a sound, it’s the voice of Leroy reading
Frankenstein aloud. And if we break
to talk, I know my questions are feeble sparks
that won’t ignite my students’ barely beating

hearts. There is no volta here, no turn,

just more of the same: the cloud sinking ever lower,
the air damper, yet more rain. And the task
is unchanging, like spending years chasing a monster
you yourself created. Leroy asks
if he can stop reading. I say, for now, he can.

75
definition of literature by appealing to the canon or by referring to
1) content, 2) form, 3) genres, 4) function
a definition in terms of genres respects literary diversity & historical
change yet it leads to a less coherent general definition of literature

76
definition of literature by appealing to the canon or by referring to
1) content, 2) form, 3) genres, 4) function
a definition in terms of genres respects literary diversity & historical
change yet it leads to a less coherent general definition of literature
a fourth option is to define literary works in terms of their function and
to shift from a definition in terms of what the text is (different textual
features) to a def in terms of what text does (diff texts, same function)
so a literary work = a text with a literary function

77
definition of literature by appealing to the canon or by referring to
1) content, 2) form, 3) genres, 4) function
a definition in terms of genres respects literary diversity & historical
change yet it leads to a less coherent general definition of literature
a fourth option is to define literary works in terms of their function and
to shift from a definition in terms of what the text is (different textual
features) to a def in terms of what text does (diff texts, same function)
so a literary work = a text with a literary function
this definition captures the fact that very different texts can fulfil a
similar function for us (novel/poem/movie/TV show) but problems: 1)
def is circular (literature = text with a literary function), 2) def implies
that form & content play no role, 3) like a def in terms of genres,
functions change depending on period/audience
4 popular options: lit = 1) pleasure/entertain 2) knowledge/educate, 3)
therapy/psychology, 4) community/politics, see imagined communities
78
definition of literature by appealing to the canon or by referring to
1) content, 2) form, 3) genres, 4) function
a definition in terms of genres respects literary diversity & historical
change yet it leads to a less coherent general definition of literature
a fourth option is to define literary works in terms of their function and
to shift from a definition in terms of what the text is (different textual
features) to a def in terms of what text does (diff texts, same function)
so a literary work = a text with a literary function
this definition captures the fact that very different texts can fulfil a
similar function for us (novel/poem/movie/TV show) but problems: 1)
def is circular (literature = text with a literary function), 2) this definition
implies that form & content play no role, 3) like a definition in terms of
genres, functions change depending on period/audience

79
definition of literature by appealing to the canon or by referring to
1) content, 2) form, 3) genres, 4) function
a definition in terms of genres respects literary diversity & historical
change yet it leads to a less coherent general definition of literature
a fourth option is to define literary works in terms of their function and
to shift from a definition in terms of what the text is (different textual
features) to a def in terms of what text does (diff texts, same function)
so a literary work = a text with a literary function
this definition captures the fact that very different texts can fulfil a
similar function for us (novel/poem/movie/TV show) but problems: 1)
def is circular (literature = text with a literary function), 2) this definition
implies that form & content play no role, 3) like a definition in terms of
genres, functions change depending on period/audience
4 popular options: lit = 1) pleasure/entertain 2) knowledge/educate, 3)
therapy/psychology, 4) community/politics, see imagined communities
80
1.5. Imagined communities
82
the nation (France, Belgium, UK) is often seen as timeless yet
fairly recent invention linked to the rise of vernacular languages

83
the nation (France, Belgium, UK) is often seen as timeless yet
fairly recent invention linked to the rise of vernacular languages
as members of a nation, we are part of a community despite our
differences (‘rich or poor, we are all Belgians’) & this community
differs from that of other nations (‘we are not French/Dutch/etc’)

84
the nation (France, Belgium, UK) is often seen as timeless yet
fairly recent invention linked to the rise of vernacular languages
as members of a nation, we are part of a community despite our
differences (‘rich or poor, we are all Belgians’) & this community
differs from that of other nations (‘we are not French/Dutch/etc’)
as members of a nation, we will never meet all fellow-members of
this community but still we bear in mind this image of our national
community (so we live in an ‘imagined community’)

85
the nation (France, Belgium, UK) is often seen as timeless yet
fairly recent invention linked to the rise of vernacular languages
as members of a nation, we are part of a community despite our
differences (‘rich or poor, we are all Belgians’) & this community
differs from that of other nations (‘we are not French/Dutch/etc’)
as members of a nation, we will never meet all fellow-members of
this community but still we bear in mind this image of our national
community (so we live in an ‘imagined community’)
rise of print culture in 18th-century Europe: novel & newspaper
help to create ‘imagined community’ via its structure & language

86
87
the nation (France, Belgium, UK) is often seen as timeless yet
fairly recent invention linked to the rise of vernacular languages
as members of a nation, we are part of a community despite our
differences (‘rich or poor, we are all Belgians’) & this community
differs from that of other nations (‘we are not French/Dutch/etc’)
as members of a nation, we will never meet all fellow-members of
this community but still we bear in mind this image of our national
community (so we live in an ‘imagined community’)
rise of print culture in 18th-century Europe: novel & newspaper
help to create ‘imagined community’ via its structure & language
1) ‘meanwhile’ (news): ‘this happened across Belgium today’
2) representative plurals: ‘students’ = ‘(Belgian) students’

88
the nation (France, Belgium, UK) is often seen as timeless yet
fairly recent invention linked to the rise of vernacular languages
as members of a nation, we are part of a community despite our
differences (‘rich or poor, we are all Belgians’) & this community
differs from that of other nations (‘we are not French/Dutch/etc’)
as members of a nation, we will never meet all fellow-members of
this community but still we bear in mind this image of our national
community (so we live in an ‘imagined community’)
rise of print culture in 18th-century Europe: novel & newspaper
help to create ‘imagined community’ via its structure & language
1) ‘meanwhile’ (news): ‘this happened across Belgium today’
2) representative plurals: ‘students’ = ‘(Belgian) students’
> does that model still work now? do we still live in imag comm?

89
1. Literature and genres

1.1. Instagram and the canon > lit difficult to define

> definition of canon
1.2. What is literature? Forms & contents > unusual language
> imitation + fiction
1.3. Fiction and nonfiction > emplotment, minimal departure
> ref function, formulas of speculation
1.4. What is literature? Genres & functions > recurrent kinds of lit
> 4 literary functions
1.5. Imagined communities > nation = imagination
> print culture vs today?

90
Overview of the lectures

1. Literature and genres February 7

2. Literary studies & close reading February 14
3. Poetry and formalism February 21
4. Narrative and structuralism February 28 workshop 1
5. Novels and characters March 7
6. Drama and media March 14
7. Texts and contexts, part 1 March 21
8. Case study: Red Velvet March 28
9. Authors and readers April 18
10. Texts and contexts, part 2 April 25 workshop 2
11. [Texts and contexts] May 2
12. Animals and ecocriticism May 9
13. Case study: A Children’s Bible May 16

91
 LGERM 1124
English Literature: Critical Approaches

1. Literature and genres

[email protected]