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A300 Block one - What is literature for?
TMA02 completed
Introduction
I found block one both challenging and enjoyable. I was certainly thrown in at the deep end with literature - I had never read a play before, I have little understanding of poetry, and I don't read as much as I should. The set texts for this block are quite varied, the aim is to try and answer the block theme: 'What is Literature for?' by examining concepts such as aestheticism and Instrumentalism in the context of modernism.
Chekhov was OK, but I found reading his play The cherry Orchard quite difficult because of the format, stage directions, and character names. I found the course book and Reader helped to explain the play, but overall I remained confused with Chekhov. I found the man fascinating and was intrigued by his biography, but I didn't get on with his work.
In contrast, I found Katherine Mansfield brilliant, and I really enjoyed her short stories. It's the first time I've closely examined the language of prose, and I found the way she uses language really fascinating. On literature courses I think it's important when you have a strong feeling about a text as it makes it easier to incorporate your own opinions in the assessment. My TMA mark improved compared with the first one on Chekhov.
Lewis Grassic Gibbon's Sunset Song was another text I really enjoyed. It's the sort of book that you either love or hate, several students seemed to detest it, but I found it fascinating. I like reading about the period it covered - the First World War, and again the language was interesting. You have to pick up a few words from the glossary, but it all adds to the realism.
I only managed to flick through Poetry of the Thirties - I'm hoping to go back to it later in the course. There seems to be a problem with the organisation of the course on the pilot presentation - the assignments don't follow on in order from the course work (this is likely to be corrected in future presentations). Many of us have abandoned the study calendar and are following our own study schedule based on our assignment choices.
Block one has taught me a great deal about modernism and also literature in general. I'm really glad I chose this course and I'm looking forward to the next set of texts in Block two.
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Written by bill "at" larnach "dot" info
URL of this page: http://www.larnach.info/A300/one.htm
Block one
OLLC Chekhov
OLLC Lewis Grassic Gibbon
Preface to edition (Wilfred Owen)
Dulce et Decorum Est
George Orwell -"why I write"
John Reid essay
Chekhov
The Cherry Orchard (Julius West 1916 translation)
Chekhov on writing
Chekhov pages
Cherry Orchard play notes
Mansfield
Books and writers: Katherine Mansfield
Malaspina
NZ Edge
Katherine Mansfield collection
New Zealand Book Council Mansfield page
The Short Story versus the Novel
Mansfield Short stories online
A Short guide to Mansfield
Katherine Mansfield birthplace
The garden Party and other stories online
Grassic Gibbon
Sunset Song (Stage Play)