 Department of English Language and Literature |
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Return to Undergraduate Schedule |
Engl. 586: British Fiction - The Price of Secrecy British fiction offers readers complexity of characters, subtleness of plot, delicacy of irony, deftness of satire, and elegance of style. Nowhere are these traits more evident than in fiction of those who lead double lives by choice or by chance. This course uses the fiction of several contemporary novelists to trace the changes in British attitudes toward itself as an empire and its place in the world, the emotional toll secrecy demands, and the resulting chaos these elements play in others' lives. While the overall study is of spy fiction, the course will feature an examination of a central figure--Kim Philby--and the fictional responses to his ignominious life. Course texts include Graham Greene, Quiet American, The Human Factor, Our Man in Havana; John le Carré, Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; John Banville, The Untouchable; Anthony Burgess, Tremor of Intent; Ian McEwan, The Innocent; Kim Philby, My Silent War. |
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