This unit approaches the study of popular narrative afresh by uncovering some ideas about popular culture - genre, mass culture, escapism, representation - that continue to limit and predetermine the analysis of popular texts. By considering how these ideas have come to inform our everyday responses to popular texts, the unit explores strategies for reading such texts in ways that challenge the critical imperative driving many analyses of popular fiction and film. Thus, the unit develops new protocols for thinking and writing about popular texts in academic, journalistic and everyday contexts. Access to on-line facilities is essential for students studying in off-campus mode. -- Course Website
Instructor: Belinda Morrissey
Prerequisites: Completion of 36 points in any discipline
