English 217BF - Brit. & Irish Fict. 1900-1945

This course examines fiction by some of the key British and Irish writers from the first half of the twentieth century (1900-1945). We will be interested in the ways in which the form and content of the novel and the short story have been impacted by changes in social and cultural contexts. The course will cover topics such as the end of empire, the influence of developments in science, philosophy, and psychology, and the pervasive influence of music on modernist writers. The reading list will include works by James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Katherine Mansfield, Elizabeth Bowen, and Flann O'Brien.

Prereq: English 200.