Admission requirements
Recommended reading: Thomas Anz (ed.),Literary criticism. History, Theory, Practice (Munich: C.H. Beck, 2007)
Description
Literary criticism has developed in German-speaking countries from about the middle of the 17th century. The genre of reviewing and judging has quickly developed into the most important form of discussion of the newly published literature. Soon, magazines such as the Schlegels ‘Athenaeum’ or the ‘Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung’ were very well received by an audience that wanted to learn about the most recent publications. Today, literary criticism has become the best-known form of cultural journalism with its reviews, interviews and damning reviews.
In the seminar we shall trace the development of this genre from the 19th and 21st centuries, both in theory and practice. Together, we will analyze reviews from the most important German-language newspapers and magazines and ask ourselves how and by what standards and criteria 'good' literature has been assessed over the past 250 years. We will ask ourselves which stylistic means literary critics work with and how authors react to reviews.
In the course of the seminar, the students will write three reviews; one individual review, one review of more than one book and one negative review. The reviews should deal with current literature published after 2016.
Course objectives
The students:
are able to recognize and distinguish the most important forms of literary-critical writing
gain insight into and understanding of the historical development of the genre of literary criticism
understand how the perspective on ‘good’ and ‘bad’ literature changed over time
are able to independently formulate their own research questions based on the subject of the course
are able to present the acquired knowledge and insights on a scholarly level in speech and in writing
Timetable
Mode of instruction
Seminar
Course Load
Attending class: 26h
Prepare for class and study literature: 52h
Three reviews of 600-800 words: 15h
Preparation for oral presentation: 8h
Short written presentation (1000 words): 27h
Essay (4500 words): 140h
For 5 EC:
Attending seminar: 26h
Prepare for class and study literature: 52h
Three reviews of 600-800 words: 15h
Preparation for oral presentation: 8h
Short written presentation (1000 words): 27h
For students of the Research Master: development of a concept of the paper of 2000 words
Assessment method
Assessment
For 10 EC
Attending class
Prepare for class and study literature
Three reviews of 600-800 words
Preparation for oral presentation
Short written presentation (1000 words)
Essay (4500 words)
For 5 EC:
Attending seminar
Prepare for class and study literature
Three reviews of 600-800 words
Preparation for oral presentation
Short written presentation (1000 words)
For students of the Research Master: development of a concept of the paper of 2000 words
Weighing
Oral presentation and discussion leading (10%)
Three reviews of 600-800 words (15%)
Short written elaboration of the presentation (25%)
Assignment (4500 words) (50%) / For students of the Research Master: 7000 words (50%)
Resit
Only the final essay can be re-submitted.
inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used for:
Submitting coursework
access to literature
Reading list
Recommended reading: Thomas Anz (ed.), Literary criticism. History, Theory, Practice (Munich: C.H. Beck, 2007)
All other readings will be made available via Blackboard
Registration
Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available on the website
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Registration Studeren à la carte
Registration Contractonderwijs
Not applicable