Accessibility statement

Henry James - ENG00022H

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  • Department: English and Related Literature
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: H
  • Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
    • See module specification for other years: 2023-24

Module summary

This module offers an opportunity to develop a critical and creative relationship with the fiction of Henry James (1843-1916), arguably the greatest Anglo-American novelist of the nineteenth and early twentieth century and unquestionably an unparalleled resource for thinking about the texture of human experience in all its complexity, richness and difficulty.

We will read in depth a compact selection of James's novels, short stories, and critical essays, attending closely to the play of language, the dynamics of feelings and the structures of ideas that together comprise James's challenging and intensely rewarding creative idiom. Topics that we are very likely to discuss include hetero-, homo-, and bisexuality; queerness; cis- and transgender subjectivities; European art history, architecture, and nineteenth-century interior design; cookery; psychoanalysis.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Spring Term 2022-23

Module aims

The aim of this module is to study in depth the writing of Henry James, with an emphasis on his fiction.

Module learning outcomes

On successful completion of the module, you should be able to:

  1. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of and engagement with Henry James’s writing;

  2. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of and engagement with historical and theoretical scholarship relevant to the study of James’s writing;

  3. Evaluate, and position yourself in relation to, key debates within the relevant critical fields dealing with Henry James’s writing;

  4. Produce independent arguments and ideas which demonstrate an advanced proficiency in critical thinking, research, and writing skills.

Indicative assessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Special assessment rules

None

Additional assessment information

  • You will be given the opportunity to hand in a 1000 word formative essay in the term in which the module is taught (usually in the week 7 seminar). Material from this essay may be re-visited in your summative essay and it is therefore an early chance to work through material that might be used in assessed work. This essay will be submitted in hard copy and your tutor will annotate it and return it two weeks later (usually in your week 9 seminar). Summary feedback will be uploaded to your eVision account.
  • Class descriptors for this module can be found on the Student homepage

Indicative reassessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Module feedback

  • You will receive feedback on all assessed work within the University deadline, and will often receive it more quickly. The purpose of feedback is to inform your future work; it is designed to help you to improve your work, and the Department also offers you help in learning from your feedback. If you do not understand your feedback or want to talk about your ideas further you can discuss it with your tutor or your supervisor, during their Open Office Hours
  • For more information about the feedback you will receive for your work, see the department's Guide to Assessment

Indicative reading

  • The Europeans
  • The Princess Casamassima
  • The Spoils of Poynton
  • The Golden Bowl


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University constantly explores ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary. In some instances it may be appropriate for the University to notify and consult with affected students about module changes in accordance with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.