English and drama

Virginia Woolf

Module code: Q3023
Level 6
30 credits in autumn semester
Teaching method: Seminar, Workshop
Assessment modes: Coursework

This module examines Virginia Woolf through her novels, essays, diaries, and letters.

We explore Woolf’s responses to major historical events—WWI trauma, the decline of empire, women’s rights, and the rise of fascism—within the literary and cultural surge of her time, psychoanalytic innovations, and early feminism.

Using the University of Sussex’s unique Woolf archive, we’ll read her works alongside original manuscripts, letters, and diaries. Field trips to Woolf’s Sussex home and Charleston may be offered. The module encourages creative and critical responses, exploring Woolf’s legacy and relevance today.

Module learning outcomes

• Understand the formal and generic developments of a named author's work.
• Understand how the work has been shaped by the social, historical and intellectual contexts in which it was produced.
• Through critical analysis of a range of the author¿s writing over his/her career, demonstrate an understanding of how his/her literary reputation was established and has been maintained.
• Organise complex material into an essay that illustrates independent research.