BA English Language and English Literature

This course looks at novels, novellas and poems published in Britain and the US that through literary experimentation pose key questions about gender and sexuality in the interwar period (1922 to 1937). The unit will link each individual texts to current debates about modernism and experimentalism, exploring through sexuality the relation between the Edwardian, Georgian, and the modernist novel in England (Woolf); the queer transatlantic connections between Blackness, European decadence, and North American modernism (Nugent, Barnes); Black modernism, vernacular experimentalism, and the Harlem Renaissance; and the Black Atlantic (Larsen and Marson).  

The aims of this course are:

- to introduce students to key texts and issues from the interwar period that link literary and sexual experimentalism;

- to introduce students to the analysis of novels, novellas and poems from the interwar period;

- to consider the links established between formal and thematic innovations by more canonical authors (Woolf, Barnes, Hurston) and lesser known ones (Nugent, Marson);

- to analyse the ways in which these texts from the interwar period in the UK and US interact with their cultural and historical contexts;

- to understand contemporary and historical understandings of sexuality in feminist and queer theory;

- to consider how these texts address issues of gender, sexuality, and race;

- to develop skills of critical thought, both orally and in writing in relation to the study of key authors writing in the 1920s and 1930s;

- to develop IT skills through the use of Blackboard, online library catalogues, and archival catalogues;

- to develop teamwork skills through informal seminar discussions and presentations.

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

- demonstrate a thorough knowledge of all the primary texts on this unit;

- demonstrate a good understanding of the complex contexts in which they are placed, across the   UK, the US and the West Indies;

- demonstrate a critical understanding of the role of sexuality in these texts;

- engage with key issues in contemporary feminist, queer, and modernist studies.

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

- think critically about literature in the interwar period across different geographical locations;

- analyse course texts in a critical manner;

- reflect critically on the history of sexuality;

- evaluate critical arguments advanced by critics working in modernist, queer, and gender studies.

- plan and execute independent research on experimental texts in the interwar period;

- make good use of library, electronic, and online resources pertaining to the course;

- speak and write clearly about experimental literature;

- comment on the performance of a peer, identifying strengths and making constructive suggestions for improvement where appropriate.

- retrieve, sift, organise, synthesise and critically evaluate material from a range of different sources, including library, electronic, and online resources;

- produce written work using appropriate language for an academic audience;

- produce written work that collects and integrates evidence to formulate/test a critical argument;

- demonstrate good teamwork skills by acknowledging the views of others and working constructively with others;

- display basic negotiating skills in understanding and working with others;

- manage time effectively by scheduling tasks in order of importance.

Virginia Woolf, Jacob’s Room (1922)

Nella Larsen, Quicksand (1928)

Djuna Barnes, Nightwood (1936)

Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937)

Una Marson, Selected Poetry (1930s)

Winifred Holtby, South Riding (1936)

Tuition fees for home students will be £10,050 for the 2027/28 academic year. In England and Wales, tuition fees for home undergraduate students are subject to the Government fee cap, which the Government has announced will be £10,050 for the 2027/28 academic year.

Government policy is to increase the fee cap on an annual basis to reflect inflation (i.e. increasing costs), and the tuition fee home students pay in subsequent academic years will reflect any increases in the Government fee cap (which we will communicate to you as soon as we can in advance of the relevant academic year).

Tuition fees for international students will be £29,200 for the 2027/28 academic year. For subsequent academic years, the University reserves the right to increase the tuition fee by up to 7% each year, including to reflect rising costs associated with delivering our education and wider student experience.

For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

We know that student finance can be complicated. The links below provide further information to help guide you.

Learn more about student finance options for UK students .

Learn more about f ees and finance for international students .

As an international student you may be eligible for our Global Futures Scholarships . This is open to students starting their studies in September 2026.