Canons in Literature and Performance (ENGL10002)

How do we know what a great work of literature or theatre is? In this English and Theatre Studies subject, you will grapple with ideas about the value and status of literature. Is it possible to read a great work for both pleasure and critique? Which narratives become classics and why? Should reading edify, represent, entertain?

With peers, you will undertake detailed readings and viewings of influential plays, poems, novels, and essays from Early Modern England to contemporary Australia. We will critically engage with the framework of the literary canon, tracing its origins in eighteenth-century essay culture, and its consolidation in contemporary culture. You will gain an understanding of canon as a hotly contested container for values, tastes, and traditions, subject to radical reorganisation and revaluation with time.

Our encounters with voices from the past will provide a foundation for you to engage in critical and cultural debates about literature in today’s world. You will have the opportunity in this subject to explore these debates through class discussions and assessment, while honing your academic skills to set you up for success in your degree.

Canons in Literature and Performance is available as a Bachelor of Arts Discovery subject, supporting your introduction to university and fostering connections within your course. If you are taking this as your Discovery subject, you will need to concurrently complete the three compulsory Joining Melbourne modules.

Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

• Define key concepts in the context of English and Theatre Studies, including canon, genre, value, and taste
• Critically evaluate complex literary material and criticism including Shakespearean drama, poetry, and the Austenean novel
• Articulate their own response to critical perspectives and support this through close reading and performance analysis
• Reflect critically on the development and renovation of literary canon
• Engage in key debates about the value and reception of major literary works.

Generic skills

On completion of this subject, students should be able to:

• Contribute to a team project through active participation and effective collaboration
• Develop a personal writing style that may be adapted to different audiences and contexts
• Use databases to source appropriate materials for research
• Critically engage with scholarly debates
• Critically evaluate arguments and methodologies