1. Introduction: what is literature?
- Critical reading
- Critical writing
- The function of critical readings
2. Close reading and criticism
- Criticism and ‘practical criticism’
3. Comparing literary texts
- Poetry
- Figurative language
4. Narrative and structure
- Narrative and narrative voice
- Perspective
- Dialogue
5. Description and devices
- Literary descriptions
- Description of place and the elements
- Analysing description in longer passages
- Descriptions of character
6. Analysing Poetry
- Reading poetry
- Analysing a modern poem
7. Writing critically
- Opinion versus argument
- Developing arguments in writing
- Writing about place
- Writing about character
- Writing about dialogue
8. Developing as a writer and reader
9. Other approaches to texts
- What is critical theory?
- Formalist approaches
- Structuralist approaches
- The starting-point
- Case or subject position
10. Honing and keeping up your skills
- Using the work of other critics
- Criticising the critic
- Literary periodicals
- Book clubs and reading groups
We strongly recommend that you try to find a little time each week to engage in the online conversations (at times that are convenient to you) as the forums are an integral, and very rewarding, part of the course and the online learning experience.
