“Fiction is woven into all ... I find this new reality (or unreality) more valid.” (John Fowles, The French Lieutenant’s Woman)
Fiction creates storyworlds, ‘As-If’s, alternate realities, whole universes, shared fantasies. Metafiction is ‘meta’ because it reflects upon its own creation and createdness, it self-consciously reveals the workings of writers, exposes the construction of the fantasy. It breaks the illusion of fictional reality and provokes its readers to look at story as a product of choices which are ultimately ulterior to the storyworld itself.
In this (admittedly fairly nerdy) seminar, we will read four metafictional novels that reflect upon the reasons for fiction writing with regard to the ethics of writing, its function for personal and social memory culture or for historiography. We will look at theoretical concepts of postmodern metafictionality and we will connect our reading to the fundamental question of what literature is.
Please buy and read the following novels in a format that you can annotate and bring to class:
We will also watch selected metafictional films to complement the reading.
Hey, nerdy is the new sexy, right?
Please note that the first session of this seminar takes place on 26 April because the first week of term is reserved for the "How to English" week to which you are cordially invited (you will receive an announcement and programme toward the start of the semester).
This is not a class for first year students. Participants should have completed basic modules BM1 (especially Writing, Presentations and Research Skills, and Argumentation, Communication and Critical Reading) and BM2 (Analysing British Literature, Analyzing American Literature, and the Basisseminar: Genres, Authors, Periods).
Frequency | Weekday | Time | Format / Place | Period |
---|
Module | Course | Requirements | |
---|---|---|---|
23-ANG-AngPM2 Profilmodul 2: British Studies | 2.3 British Literature and Media | Study requirement
|
Student information |
- | Graded examination | Student information | |
23-ANG-AngPM2.1 Profilmodul 2.1: British Studies | 2.1.3 British Literature and Media | Study requirement
|
Student information |
23-ANG-AngPM2_a Profilmodul 2: British Studies | 2.3 Literature and Culture | Study requirement
|
Student information |
- | Graded examination | Student information | |
23-ANG-AngVM1 Vertiefungsmodul 1: Britain | 1.2 British Literature: Genre, Periods, Authors | Study requirement
|
Student information |
1.3 British Cultural Studies: Theories, Periods, Media | Study requirement
|
Student information | |
- | Graded examination | Student information | |
23-ANG-AngVM5 Vertiefungsmodul 5: Theories & Ideologies | VM 5.2 Literary Theory | Study requirement
|
Student information |
VM 5.3 Cultural Theory | Study requirement
|
Student information | |
- | Graded examination | Student information | |
23-LIT-LitP8 Englischsprachige Literaturen | Englischsprachige Literaturen in exemplarischen Lektüren 1 | Study requirement
|
Student information |
Englischsprachige Literaturen in exemplarischen Lektüren 2 | Study requirement
|
Student information | |
Englischsprachige Literaturen: Traditionen, Gattungen, Motive | Study requirement
|
Student information | |
Seminar mit Lektüreschwerpunkt | Study requirement
|
Student information |
The binding module descriptions contain further information, including specifications on the "types of assignments" students need to complete. In cases where a module description mentions more than one kind of assignment, the respective member of the teaching staff will decide which task(s) they assign the students.
The credit points you receive for this class encompass regular participation (or alternative self-study with submitted reflection papers), weekly homework tasks for class preparation, and a Studienleistung.