Literary: to use a mixture of close reading and plot analysis to explore the different styles of writing for children and adolescents before World War I and after World War II.
Historical/political: to examine the displacement of Britain as the leading Western world power by America.
Sociological: to explore the paradoxical idealisations of childhood and the concepts of meaning and duty in periods dominated first by Imperialism and then by the Cold War.
Cultural: to experience how the movements of the time are reflected by the ‘high’ and ‘low’ art of the time.
Module learning outcomes
To acquire knowledge of the major styles and trends of child/adolescent literature before World War I and after World War II.
To appreciate the cultural reaction to the increasing insecurities of the twentieth century.
To understand some of the major social shifts that occurred since 1910.
To realise how the literature of childhood reflects the fears and hopes of the twentieth century.
Assessment
Task
Length
% of module mark
Essay/coursework Essay 5000 words
N/A
100
Special assessment rules
None
Reassessment
Task
Length
% of module mark
Essay/coursework Essay 5000 words
N/A
100
Module feedback
There will be feedback on draft essays prior to submission of final essay.