VVZ API is not affiliated with ETH Zurich. Data might be outdated or incorrect. Please view the official ETHZ Vorlesungsverzeichnis for binding information.
An Introduction to Literature in English (Part II)
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:09:12
Abstract
The power that stories have over the audience's imagination has always proved one of the main pleasures of reading. In this course we shall consider some major works of English Literature dealing with the topic "story telling". We shall discuss narrative structures, the relationship between form and function, and explore how story-tellers control our reading experience.
Objective
The aim of this course is to sharpen students' awareness of literary conventions and methods and to help them become discerning readers, hence to enjoy and benefit more from reading English literature.
Content
This course develops out of Part I, held in the Winter Semester 2005/06, but forms a completely self-contained unit. New students will be welcome! Our topic will be "story-telling". A fundamental element in many kinds of literature is the story, an organisation of experience into one or more narrative lines. We will consider some of the ways in which narratives are structured, discuss the relationship between form and function, between structure and meaning and explore how story-tellers control the reading experience. We will start with excerpts from Homer's "Odyssey", and continue with other major works of literature in which story-telling is a central issue: Geoffrey Chaucer, "The Canterbury Tales", S. T. Coleridge, 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner', Joseph Conrad, "Heart of Darkness" and Salman Rushdie, "Haroun and the Sea of Stories".
Resources
Lecture Notes
No script.
Literature
Recommended reading: Vladimir Propp, "Morphology of the Folktale"; Wayne C. Booth, "The Rhetoric of Fiction"; H. Porter, "The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative" (2002).
General Information
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- end-of-semester examination
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture | An Introduction to Literature in English (Part II) |
|
2 h weekly |
Offered In
-
Geistes-, Sozial- und Staatswissenschaften (Die Sprachkurse sind nicht mehr im Angebot des D-GESS, sondern im Angebot des Sprachenzentrums der Universität und der ETH Zürich enthalten. Adresse: Predigergasse 9, 8001 Zürich, Tel. 01 632 2958, Fax 01 632 1221 Mail: )
-
-
-