Basic

UNIVERSITY OF BAHRI

College of Education

Department of the English Language

Course Title: Novel and Short Story

5th-Year Postgraduate Students of Basic Education

Course Description

The Novel and Short Story course is designed primarily for 5th-year postgraduate students of Basic Education in the Department of English. This course focuses extensively on the historical and structural development of prose fiction, with a primary emphasis on the English Novel. The intentional design of the curriculum is to provide students with an adequate, advanced knowledge of the diverse themes and unique narrative styles employed by various novelists and short story writers.

To facilitate a complete and comprehensive literary analysis, students are provided with reading examples of novels and short story books throughout the course. These carefully selected texts are chosen for their accessibility in the market, enabling students to purchase, read, and fully appreciate them. Extensive reading of these literary works is a mandatory prerequisite for achieving a better and fuller understanding of the course materials. Furthermore, this course serves to widen the student's academic scope regarding English culture, alongside the shifting economic, religious, and socio-political issues of each historical age as mirrored in the texts. An auxiliary benefit of engaging with these extensive readings is the expansion of the student's academic vocabulary and command of English expressions.

Course Aims

The primary aims of this course are to:

• Familiarize postgraduate students with a wide array of different English novelists, short story authors, and their respective literary works.
• Deepen students' understanding of the distinct themes and stylistic choices that render each writer unique.
• Provide a comprehensive background for each author to ensure students understand the specific biographical, historical, and environmental influences acting upon each piece of work.
• Deliver a systematic overview and critical analysis of selected novels and short stories.
• Facilitate rigorous academic discussions surrounding the core themes of the chosen texts.

General Course Objectives

The overarching objective of this course is to explain the major thoughts, artistic movements, and historical trends that have guided English novelists, short story writers, and their creative outputs.

By the conclusion of this postgraduate course, students should be able to:

• Define the foundational concepts of the English Novel and prose fiction.
• Explain and critique the central themes and narrative styles of the selected novels and short stories.
• Discuss the biographical and historical backgrounds of major English writers.
• Distinguish structurally and contextually between the earliest English novels and modern prose works.
• Examine the specific socio-political, economic, and religious influences that shaped the authors and their texts.
• List and classify the major authors who have defined the trajectory of the English novel and short story genres.