X
X
X

X
Courses » Introduction to Literary Theory

Introduction to Literary Theory

ABOUT THE COURSE:

This course traces the development of the major theoretical frameworks, from classical Greek theories of mimesis to the present day concerns of ecocriticism and postcolonialism, which are used to analyse texts within the discipline of English literary studies. Apart from giving a comprehensive overview of the salient features that inform each school of literary theory, the course also connects these theoretical frameworks to the social, political, and cultural contexts that underline them. It is hoped that this course will enable the students to have a firm understanding of the various eclectic concepts that inform the field of literary theory and also to engage with literature more critically.

Important For Certification/Credit Transfer:

Weekly Assignments and Discussion Forum can be accessed ONLY by enrolling here

Scroll down to Enroll


Note: Content is Free!

All content including discussion forum and assignments, is free


Final Exam (in-person, invigilated, currently conducted in India) is mandatory for Certification and has INR Rs. 1100 as exam fee.


INTENDED AUDIENCE: Undergraduate and Postgraduate students of English literature

CORE/ELECTIVE: Elective

UG/PG: UG and PG

PREREQUISITES: None

INDUSTRY SUPPORT: Institutions offering courses on English studies

1281 students have enrolled already!!

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:

  

Dr. Sayan Chattopadhyay is an assistant professor of English literature at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Kanpur. He has a doctorate degree from the University of Cambridge. His primary areas of research include Postcolonial Studies and Indian English Writings and his research articles have appeared in various scholarly journals including Journal of Postcolonial Writing (Routledge), Ariel: A Review of International English (University of Calgary), The Journal of Commonwealth Literature (Sage) and Prose Studies: History, Theory, Criticism (Routledge).

COURSE LAYOUT:

Week 1- Introduction, Mimesis.
Week 2 - Classical & Neo-Classical Literary Theories, Romanticism.
Week 3 - Formalism, Dialogism, Reader Response theory.
Week 4 - Reader Response Theory, Structuralism, Post-Structuralism.
Week 5 - Marxism, Psychoanalytic Theory.
Week 6 - Psychoanalytic Theory, Gender.
Week 7 - Modernism, Post-Modernism, Postcolonialism.
Week 8 - Eco-Criticism, Indian Literary Theory

SUGGESTED READING MATERIALS:

Peter Barry Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory
Raman Selden, et al. A Reader’s Guide to Contemporary Literary Theory (5th edition)
Terry Eagleton Literary Theory: An Introduction
M. H. Abrams A Glossary of Literary Terms
Peter Brooker A Glossary of Cultural Theory
David Lodge and Nigel Wood Modern Criticism and Theory: A Reader
CERTIFICATION EXAM :
  • The exam is optional for a fee.
  • Date of Exams : October 07 (Sunday)
  • Time of Exams : Morning session 9am to 12 noon; Afternoon session: 2pm to 5pm
  • Exam for this course will be available in both morning & afternoon sessions.
  • Registration url: Announcements will be made when the registration form is open for registrations.
  • The online registration form has to be filled and the certification exam fee needs to be paid. More details will be made available when the exam registration form is published.
CERTIFICATION:
  • Final score will be calculated as : 25% assignment score + 75% final exam score
  • 25% assignment score is calculated as 25% of average of Best 6 out of 8 assignments.
  • E-Certificate will be given to those who register and write the exam and score greater than or equal to 40% final score. Certificate will have your name, photograph and the score in the final exam with the breakup.It will have the logos of NPTEL and IIT Kanpur.It will be e-verifiable at nptel.ac.in/noc.