L.008.32480 Reading Ian McEwan

Lehrende: Felix Behler

Veranstaltungsart: Seminar

Orga-Einheit: Anglistik/Amerikanistik

Anzeige im Stundenplan:

Semesterwochenstunden: 2

Unterrichtssprache: Englisch

Min. | Max. Teilnehmerzahl: - | 32

Kommentar:
Ian McEwan – hailed, amongst other things, as a “Master Novelist” by The Times – has, no doubt, become one of the most popular and most acclaimed British writers of our times. Born in 1948 in the military town of Aldershot, the earlier stages of his life were, as David Malcom put, “anything but literary”. However, after studying English and French at the University of Sussex, he went on to become one of the most successful fiction writers of the post-war period and has been able to make a living from his writing since the mid-1970s. His novels and short stories delve into various aspects of everyday life, existence, and society, and are set in a variety of historical, socio-economic, and cultural-historical contexts. In this class, we will explore three of his more recent works, all set in London but exploring different themes: Machines Like Me (2019) is set in an alternative 1980s ‘dystopia’ and discusses the impact of AI and robotics on our lives. The Children Act (2014) introduces us to a middle-aged London judge confronting difficult personal and professional decisions. Saturday (2005) portrays a day in the life of a neurosurgeon, set against the backdrop of the unprecedented anti-war protests against the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Please get a copy of the aforementioned novels (and start reading) before the beginning of the semester. Please note that you must have successfully completed the Introduction to Literary Studies to take this class.