Reading Western Literature (ENST10002)

This subject introduces students to the practice of reading Western literature in an academic context. Through an examination of different forms, including prose fiction, poetry and drama, students will develop an understanding of literature as a process of critical and reflective reading. The subject encourages students to engage with specific texts in a way that explores ambiguity and unpredictability, enabling students to develop insights into the ways in which language shapes values, purposes, goals, social practices and institutions. Students will explore the way in which language works within a text to produce multiple meanings and interpretations, and will develop their own critical interpretations of the various texts in relation to the historical and theoretical contexts around it. Analysis will involve understanding elements of language, narrative, form and intertextuality, taking into account different historical contexts and perspectives.