RULE BREAKERS, UPSTARTS & GENRE RAPSCALLIONS: GENRE WRITING FROM COMMERCIAL TO SUBVERSIVE

Description

Often dismissed as disposable entertainment, derided for rehashing formulaic plot devices, popular genre fiction may better be considered literature that tests the generic boundaries within which it operates. This Level 6 Creative Writing module aims to establish the fundamental techniques, strategies, and conventions of popular genres and modes (such as mystery, horror, graphic narrative), as well as ways writers may choose to subvert those conventions, with an eye toward developing original creative projects that engage—in some way—with genre. This module is intended to complement the range of Creative Writing modules offered at level 6, focussing on genre construction and reception across a variety of contexts. One of the keys to becoming a more sophisticated writer is to become a more careful reader. Whether you love or hate, are exhilarated, or bored by a text, you can always learn from it. To that end, we will read and discuss relevant literary and theoretical works in detail, considering both the elements of craft that contribute to the construction of different genres (character, plot, form, structure, and so on), as well as the aesthetic and conceptual frameworks that underpin each text, particularly where writers may subvert genre expectations. And to make use of all our reading, we will learn to articulate responses to set texts through a series of writing exercises in which you are encouraged to experiment—and have fun—with the concepts introduced by the texts we read. Students should also be prepared to contribute fully to workshop discussions of their own and each other’s work. The module will provide students the opportunity to produce, revise and polish their creative writing and will encourage and enable them to reflect on their own creative work and writing practice in a productive and critically informed manner. Attendance is compulsory. The following areas are indicative of topics to be covered: This module aims to introduce students to a variety of narrative practices and modes, across a broad range of literary forms that make use of narrative. Students will explore these areas through a range of set critical and literary texts that cover the following foundational concepts in narrative studies: approaches to genre theory approaches to a variety of genres and associated conventions, as well as the implications of related creative choices (eg mystery, horror, graphic narrative) critical engagement with a variety of approaches to genre construction (eg commercial, formally innovative, etc) Ways of Telling Narrative Voice Reasons writers may subvert established conventions The module aims to: provide a critical and theoretical framework which will allow students to evaluate their own work and that of others Provide opportunities for structured creative work and offer regular peer and tutor feedback (verbal and/or written) Develop critical reading skills used in the production of creative writing Introduce a variety of textual forms and discuss a critical context for them Encourage a collaborative creative writing community in the classroom (eg via workshop discussions, peer-led feedback activities, workshop activities, etc) Develop upon critical writing skills established in L4 and L5 of the Programme about students' own creative work (eg via the Critical Commentary) Attributes Developed 001 By the end of the module, students should be able to: demonstrate enhanced understanding of the relationship between critical and creative practices via class discussions of set texts and their own creative and critical work KCP 002 Show familiarity with a range of narrative practices and perspectives via a varied range of set texts that introduce modes and/or forms that students may not have read or written in previously K 003 Utilise and provide regular peer feedback in the development of their own work via the workshop model of this module's underlying pedagogy P 004 Developed further their 'practice' as writers via workshop activities and/or related set texts PT 005 Demonstrate the ability to respond creatively to a variety of technical challenges and the writing, editing and revising skills required to produce a polished and effective portfolio of creative writing KCPT