School of English
Module manager: Dr James Mussell
Email: j.e.p.mussell@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2022/23
This module is not approved as a discovery module
To know a secret is not to tell someone something: but the pleasure we get from keeping secrets is often only realized when we tell. All narratives are acts of telling that defer the revelations of secrets to keep readers in suspense. All literary works then, embody secrecy in their form. Yet secrets also have a wider value in society. As withheld information, they ensure some people know more than others. Depending on the secret, this might give someone the edge over a rival in business or love, allow scandal to be concealed, or create the opportunity for blackmail. This course examines the role of secrecy in nineteenth-century literature and society.
By the end of the module, students will be able to:
Demonstrate understanding of secrecy as a concept through a range of theoretical and historical case studies;
Effectively analyse literature from across the nineteenth century;
Relate concepts of secrecy to their historical contexts;
Engage with nonliterary source material from the nineteenth century.
To know a secret is not to tell someone something: but the pleasure we get from keeping secrets is often only realized when we tell. All narratives are acts of telling that defer the revelations of secrets to keep readers in suspense. All literary works then, embody secrecy in their form. Yet secrets also have a wider value in society. As withheld information, they ensure some people know more than others. Depending on the secret, this might give someone the edge over a rival in business or love, allow scandal to be concealed, or create the opportunity for blackmail. This course examines the role of secrecy in nineteenth-century literature and society.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workshop | Delivery type 5 | Number 1 | Length hours 5 |
| Seminar | Delivery type 10 | Number 1 | Length hours 10 |
| Private study hours | Delivery type 185 | ||
| Total Contact hours | Delivery type 15 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | Delivery type 200 | ||
Reading, seminar preparation, essay writing.
- Seminar contribution.
- Feedback on unassessed essay
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment type Essay | Notes 4000 words (including quotations and footnotes). One unassessed essay of 1700 words is also required. This does not form part of the assessment for this module, but is a requirement and MUST be submitted. Students who fail to submit the unassessed essay will be awarded a maximum mark of 40 for the module (a bare Pass). | % of formal assessment 100 |
| Assessment type Essay | Notes Unassessed, 1700 words | % of formal assessment 0 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | Assessment type 100 | |
One unassessed essay of 1700 words is required which will be returned individually. This does not form part of the assessment for this module, but is a requirement and MUST be submitted. Students who fail to submit the unassessed essay will be awarded a maximum mark of 40 for the module (a bare Pass).
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 29/04/2022
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