An Honest Review: Literature in History II

So, you know the ‘who’s who’ of the module staff and the number of hours that’ll be expected of you, but as is often the way with module outlines, there’s lots of information missing which would be valuable to any student. So here’s a review of first year module ‘Literature in History II’ that’ll fill in those gaps and give you a head start on a valuable module.

‘Literature in History II’ is concerned with the representation of reality in literature. Beginning in the Romantic period with Carmen and finishing with the post-Modernist novel Lolita, not only does this module cover the 18th to 20th century historical periods, it also provides an introduction to the transition between diverse literary styles across the time.

In this way, it is perhaps the most structured module of the first year in that it has a chronologically set out purpose; however, with this comes an increased stress on your wallet. If you study ‘Literature in History I’, you’ll already have a hefty dossier full of all the required texts.

With part II of the module, students will be required to purchase at least 6 new books, which, if like many you prefer a clean copy, can prove expensive. Add to this an overpriced dossier of secondary reading and a collection of short stories required for your exam, which yes, you will be charged for, and students can be forgiven for feeling a little bit shell-shocked.

With such a volume of texts to buy, if possible, looking online for used or cheaper copies of books is something strongly recommended.

The reading is manageable, although different time allowances should be made for each one. For instance, New Grub Street will take more time than most of the others. By getting ahead with reading, you can decide on your favourite text, which is invaluable when it comes to coursework. Seminar leaders will often talk about specific sections of a text so a complete understanding of the story is essential.

In terms of teaching style, lectures are varied and delivered with enthusiasm. Of all the first year modules, it also has the most contact hours, which is useful for getting the best out of the texts.

The module introduces an array of literary styles. The diverse selection of authors also means that students will certainly find a text that they enjoy. Peter Womack was probably the most thought provoking lecturer on the module, in that he asked many questions and posed different interpretations of texts.

Overall, ‘Literature in History II’ is perhaps most valuable in that it covers a range of literary periods, which will help with selections of modules for second year. Many students go on to study ‘Modernism’ in Year 2, which builds on studies of Woolf and Nabokov in this module. It is compulsory, but that need not mean it is dull. ‘Literature in History II’ will get you reading, get you thinking and have you ready and prepared for next year.