English Literature
Like other cultures around the world, English-speaking countries have a long and rich literary tradition. Because of the influence of the English language in world history, English literature has been widely shared and continues to grow at a rapid pace.
This course will examine literature written in English by different international authors. Some of the texts to be read and analyzed in this course include:
- Short stories by Margaret Atwood, Alice Munro and Kurt Vonnegut
- The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- The play Othello by William Shakespeare
- The play One Day More by Joseph Conrad
- The epic poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- Poems by Indigenous Canadians Louise Bernice Halfe and Rita Joe
[Various animations depicting the narrator's explanations and descriptions are shown throughout the video. A character is leafing through the pages of a novel.] [NARRATOR:] Jealousy, suspicion, deceit. Sounds like a modern soap opera, doesn't it? In fact, "Othello" was written by William Shakespeare four centuries ago. [As the character turns a page, a drawn portrait of a man is shown accompanied with the title "Othello".] [NARRATOR:] As with all literature, it was meant to mirror its time and place. In this case, Elizabethan society. If you were to step into a time machine and analyze famous literary characters with your twenty-first century mindset, how do you think you'd react? Gender, racial and class inequalities? Literature gives us an insider's look at the evolution of human experience. It has helped shape societies and exposed grave injustices. Fast-forward to the eighteen hundreds and one of the most popular stories of all time: "Frankenstein". [The character of a young man is reading the novel "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley in his living room. Through the pages, drawings depicting scenes from "Frankenstein" are shown.] [NARRATOR:] An ugly monster was created out of various body parts and strange science. Was it really a monster, though? The monster was gigantic and was believed to be dangerous. Yet, he was born without any knowledge nor social status. Society shunned him. Would that still be the case in today's world? What theme and emotion was the author Mary Shelley trying to convey all those years ago? [Shortly after, the young man is reading "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald. As the man leafs through the book, drawings depicting the various characters of the story are shown.] [NARRATOR:] In 1925, "The Great Gatsby" made its mark in the literary world. Jay Gatsby is a mysterious millionaire who flaunts an extravagant lifestyle, hosts lavish parties and is passionate in his pursuit of certain relationships. The novel is filled with archetypes such as the tragic hero, the protector, the temptress... But how does the novel treat social class, wealth and race? [A drawing of a young woman, then a drawing of a horse are shown accompanied with the name Wapihti Terri-Lynn Quewezance.] [NARRATOR:] If the author or the main character had been a person of color, how might the story be different? [The following title is shown: "A Private Experience" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, followed by "One Day More" by Joseph Conrad.] [NARRATOR:] Short stories, plays, novels, poems. They can be powerful vehicles that hold up a mirror to our identity. [The young man is now sitting on the floor of his living room and reads a book as he is surrounded by piles of novels.] [NARRATOR:] Looking in that mirror reveals so much about ourselves and the society in which we live. Are you ready to dive in?
This is a semi-linear course. Its modules should be completed in the order described in the diagram below
