Novels

Novels is a practice-oriented subject to do with how we read and write the novel now. In this subject, we will explore both historical and contemporary examples of the form, reading fiction by Cervantes, Flaubert, Kafka, Plath, Woolf and Butler, alongside more contemporary contributions from Vuong, Wright, Karunatilaka, Miéville, Hamid and Trías. The emphasis is on the opening section of a novelistic work. Students will read a variety of novel openings and at least one full novel selected from the subject’s reading list, and work to develop their own, original novel opening over the course of the semester. We draw inspiration from Michael Ondaatje’s assertion that “The first sentence of every novel should be: Trust me, this will take time but there is order here, very faint, very human. Meander if you want to get town.” Our teaching staff support and encourage students to experiment with new approaches to the novel that acknowledge, challenge and extend on the form’s extraordinary history.