Literature: 20th Century British Women's Short Stories

Spanning the twentieth century as it does this course will

witness women’s voices interacting with the history of

political change, both domestically and internationally.

Therefore, we will be able to trace themes such as

enfranchisement and cultural emancipation in our texts.

Set against a backdrop of political and cultural change, our

texts will discuss women’s rights, gender and sexuality, and

the woman’s right to imaginative emancipation also.

Interacting with the political and socio-cultural aspect of the

course, we will also discuss how our writers are affected by

and interact with literary/political movements such as

feminism, nationalism, modernism and postmodernism, all of

which have allowed women’s distinctive voices to emerge.

To support consideration of these issues, we will allude to

aspects of the general culture in Britain during the century

such as class and consumerism, and our stories will form a

commentary on the shifting perception of women of

themselves.

Along with these aspects of the course, we will also observe

how women’s voice have helped to reshape the technical and

structural possibilities of the short story form, as the short

story form has experimented with new modes of relating

narrative.