English Language, Literature and Creative Writing

Sarah Dobbs, Val Jessop, Devon Campbell-Hall, Terry Mcdonough, Cath Nichols

Description

A practical, easy-to-read guide to help students pass their English and Creative Writing degree.

A practical, easy-to-read guide that aims to help undergraduate students cope with the demands of English and Creative Writing degrees. Written by lecturers and industry professionals with decades of experience in professional writing and higher education, this book also includes hints and tips from previous students.

Introduction; Part I. English Language; 1. English Language Year One; 2. English Language Year Two; 3. English Language Year Three; Bibliography; Part II. English Literature; 4. English Literature Year One; 5. English Literature Year Two; 6. English Literature Year Three; Bibliography; Part III. Creative Writing; 7. Creative Writing Year One; 8. Creative Writing Year Two; 9. Creative Writing Year Three; Conclusion; Index

Sujets

• Biography

Informations

• Publié par: Anthem Press
• Date de parution: 01 septembre 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 4
• EAN13: 9781783082926
• Langue: English

Extrait

ENGLISH LANGUAGE, LITERATURE AND CREATIVE WRITING
ENGLISH LANGUAGE, LITERATURE AND CREATIVE WRITING
A Practical Guide for Students
Sarah Dobbs (ed.), Val Jessop, Devon Campbell-Hall, Terry McDonough and Cath Nichols
Anthem Press An imprint of Wimbledon Publishing Company www.anthempress.com
This edition first published in UK and USA 2014 by ANTHEM PRESS 75–76 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8HA, UK or PO Box 9779, London SW19 7ZG, UK and 244 Madison Ave #116, New York, NY 10016, USA
Copyright © Sarah Dobbs, Val Jessop, Devon Campbell-Hall, Terry McDonough and Cath Nichols
The moral right of the authors has been asserted.
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data English language, literature and creative writing : a practical guide for students / Dr Sarah Dobbs (ed.), Dr Devon Campbell-Hall, Dr Val Jessop, Dr Cath Nichols, Terry McDonough. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-78308-288-9 (papercover : alk. paper) 1. English language–Rhetoric–Study and teaching. 2. Creative writing–Study and teaching. I. Dobbs, Sarah, 1980– editor. PE1404.E67 2014 808’.042071–dc23 2014024039
Cover image: Olga Danylenko/Shutterstock.com
ISBN-13: 978 1 78308 288 9 (Pbk) ISBN-10: 1 78308 288 7 (Pbk)
This title is also available as an ebook.
CONTENTS
Introduction vii
Part One
English Language
1. English Language: Year One 3
2. English Language: Year Two 21
3. English Language: Year Three 41
Bibliography 55
Part Two
English Literature
4. English Literature: Year One 61
5. English Literature: Year Two 93
6. English Literature: Year Three 105
Bibliography 119
Part Three
Creative Writing
7. Creative Writing: Year One 123
8. Creative Writing: Year Two 145
9. Creative Writing: Year Three 163
Bibliography 181
Conclusion
185
Index
187
INTRODUCTION
This guide was born out of a genuine desire to help students. All of the authors of this book went into teaching in order to translate our knowledge and passion for our respective disciplines to others. Education can change lives. It has certainly changed ours and we genuinely want students to do as well as they can. When I was studying for my own English literature degree, I noticed the importance of understanding the impact of a particular module’s learning outcomes. Looking at past exam papers, I started to make an educated guess at what future exam questions might look like. This helped organise my revision. There’s no magic formula to getting the mark you want, but with a little common sense and our insight, we believe you’ll be well on the way to achieving the degree you’re hoping for. Some inside tips, as well applying a little logical thinking, can go a very long way – as well as saving you some precious time! We’ve included examples and analyses of student work, tasks that will help get you thinking in a way that will aid your study, and advice from previous students.
The ‘golden’ years of getting grants and easy funding to go to university is a thing of the past. We recognize that it’s quite likely you’re working in paid employment and taking care of your family. All this while trying to commit to one of the most intense – and inspirational – periods of your life. There are many wonderful textbooks that will provide you with in-depth explorations of, say, the evolution of English literature, or how to apply postcolonial theory. This book was written to help you pass your degree. Increasing your knowledge and stretching your own abilities will undoubtedly change your life. Whatever combination of English language, literature or creative writing that you’re studying, we truly hope this book will help you on your way. But why study for a degree in these subjects? Are you still deciding which degree to do or what combination? I wanted to include Dr Devon Campbell-Hall’s thoughts on the interconnection between English language, English literature and creative writing to help with this, but also to remind us of why we’re interested in these disciplines in the first place. The best of luck in your academic career!
Sarah Dobbs

English Literature versus English Language versus Creative Writing
The variation between English degree courses is enormous – students can focus entirely on English language, English literature, creative writing, or a combination of these. Despite their main area of focus, most English degrees will include aspects of each of these disciplines. Professor Andrew Melrose argues: ‘Creative writing students […] have to be encouraged to read better, to read critically before they can think about writing what they read – and this is the legacy of critical theory as a writer’s tool. […] Thus the phrase: better readers make better thinkers make better writers’. 1
To be a good writer, then, one must become a more effective critical reader, and to become a more effective reader, one must become a better critical and creative writer. In order to study the peculiarities of English linguistics (that is, the study of the English language and how it has developed and changed over the centuries), literature provides a rich source of examples of the wonderful quirks of our language. In order to understand the intricacies and beauty of English literature, it is helpful to have at least a basic grasp of linguistic analytical theories and concepts. To be an effective creative writer, elements of both of these are helpful.
If your degree is English language, you are likely to focus on linguistic theories, using literature as a source of examples of how the English language has changed through history. If your degree is in English literature, you will also analyse the power of language, but will spend the majority of your time deeply involved in literary texts as cultural artefacts which reflect the societies in which they were created and disseminated. However, some English degrees will include elements of language and literature, as well as a significant focus on creative and critical writing. This approach – which combines the traditionally academic with the practical – enables a deeper understanding of how successfully to decode and interpret texts created by others. One of my Making and Reading Poetry students wrote the following on their anonymous unit evaluation: ‘Getting us to write poetry as well as read it was a stroke of genius! We were forced to try out the theories we had been studying at a safe distance, and this made us realise that these ideas were not just abstract, but practical. Through learning the how, we began to make sense of the why.’
Because the discipline of successfully completing an English degree signifies that students have not only learned to read and write both critically and creatively, successful graduates enter the employment market with a toolbox of exceedingly useful skills. An English degree shows potential employers that you are intelligent, motivated and imaginative, and that you can communicate ideas clearly in a range of formats. English graduates can write elegantly and persuasively, and can work either under their own steam or as part of a team. Perhaps most significantly, English graduates are able to think ‘outside the box’, using their research to find answers to challenging problems, and they have good time-management skills.
English graduates often go on to have careers in teaching and education; writing and publishing; PR and advertising; TV and media; journalism; acting; legal, financial and sales work; management or administration; or on to further study. Whatever subject or combination of subjects you have chosen to study at degree level, we hope this guide helps you navigate your way through one of the most challenging, yet hopefully inspirational, times of your life.
Devon Campbell-Hall
Footnote
1 Andrew Melrose, ‘Reading and Righting: Carrying on the “Creative Writing Theory” Debate’, International Journal for the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing 4, no. 2 (2007): 109–17 (113).
Part One English Language
ENGLISH LANGUAGE: YEAR ONE Terry McDonough

Introduction
This chapter will consider what language is, as well as discussing what people presume language to be. Subsequently, we will look at how language is studied and discuss some hints and tips for how you can be a successful English language student. There will also be helpful advice from previous students, whose comments greatly influenced the construction of this chapter.
I wish I had known more about the language modules before I started the first year, especially the importance of historical context!
(Zoe, Year One, BA English Language)
Quick! Come here! Listen to me for a moment. I’m going to tell you a few secrets about the wonderful world of language. I’m going to tell you about a lot of things we take for granted and don’t always have time to communicate in our lectures. I’m going to gi