English and drama

Virginia Woolf

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

This module focuses on the work of one of the most celebrated women writers of the twentieth century, Virginia Woolf.

Reading her novels, short stories, essays, diaries and letters, we will explore Woolf’s responses to the historical upheavals of her period, including the trauma of the First World War, the beginnings of the end of empire, the battle for women’s rights, and the rise of fascism in both Britain and Europe.

We will read Woolf in the context of the explosion in literary and cultural expression at the beginning of the twentieth century, alongside the innovations of psychoanalysis, and as a foundational figure in the history of feminism. We will also ask: what does Virginia Woolf mean to us today? 

Taking advantage of the rich and unique archive of Woolf’s writing held in the University of Sussex Special Collections, we will read Woolf’s published writing alongside original manuscripts, letters, notebooks and diaries.

Students will also be encouraged to explore Woolf’s connections to Sussex, including (where possible) field trips to Virginia Woolf’s home in Rodmell, and/or to Charleston, the home of the ‘Bloomsbury group’ in Sussex.

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.