EGERTON

UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF LITERATURE, LANGUAGES & LINGUISTICS

SEPTEMBER December 2013 SESSION
Bachelor of Education (Arts) Bachelor of Arts
Course Description: LITT 111: Introduction to Literature and Literacy
criticism
The course is designed to nurture creativity and intellectual involvement and to
introduce students to literature and literary criticism. It will focus on specific and
general issues in literary education that will include:

Definition and nature of literature and literary criticism;

Relevance of literature in the contemporary society;
Importance of literacy criticism to the study and appreciation of
literary;
History of literary criticism (including of Plato and Aristotle, Horace
and Longinus);
Introduction to the genres of literature
Critical thinking and interpretation/evaluation of literary tests;
literary and stylistic devices symbolism, allegory, analogy, stream of
consciousness, narrative structure, irony, satire;
Concepts of literacy criticism (aesthetic effect, plot, character and
characterization, description, etc);
Book reviews, literary essay, writing for newspapers, magazines,etc.

Requirements and assessment

Students will be assessed through continuous assessment tests as well as
group work assignment. All these will contribute a total of 30 marks for
the continuous assessment tests (CATS) score. The remaining 70 marks
will come from the examination which will be done at the end of the
semester
Course texts
Students are encouraged to read as many creative texts as possible as well
as introductory critical texts in literature and criticism. Most of the texts
are available library as well as the bookshop. It is advisable to use internet
in reference to various issues contained in the course description.

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Primary tests
Achebe, Chinua(1998). Things Fall Apart. Nairobi: EAEP.
Ayi Kwei Armah, (1968). The Beautiful ones Are Not Yet Born, London:
Heinemanu
Kinyanjui, K. (2012). The Last Villains of Molo. Nairobi: Longhorn publishers.
Imbuga, F. (1981). Betrayal in the City. Nairobi: EAEP.
Macgoye, M.O (1998) Make it Sing & other poems. Nairobi: East African
Educational Publishers ltd.
Mbungua, N.(2011). Different colours. Nairobi: Big books
Ngugi, W. (1967). A Grain of Wheat. Nairobi: Heinemann.
Orwell, G (1945). The Animal Farm. London: Longman Group Ltd.
Okot P. Bitek. (1972). Song of Lawino. Nairobi: East African Educational
Publishers.
Ruganda, John. Shreds of Tenderness. Nairobi: Oxford University Press, 2001.
(Various poems by poets across the globe will be provided to the class for close scrutiny.
Students are advised to engage the following poets: William Shakespeare, Yeats, Alice
Walker, Maya Angeiou, Sylvia Plath, Gwendolyn Brooks, Philip LarKin, Langston Hughes,
Wole Soyinka, Dennis Brutus, Dambudzo Marechera, Jack Mapanje, Jared Angira, David
Rubadiri, Marjorie Oludhe ' Macgoye, etc).
Secondary Texts
This list of critical texts is not exhaustive as there are countless books that are useful in
understanding literature and criticism. Students are encouraged to identify several relevant
texts and read widely. Once again, intelligent reference to internet sources is encouraged.
Barnet, Sylvan and William E. Cain. A Short Guide to Writing about Literature, 8th ed. New
York: Longman, 2004. Bressler, Charles E. Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory
and Practice. New Jersey:
Harmon, William, ed. Classic Writings on Poetry. Calcutta: Seagull, 2006.
Hudson, W. H. An Introduction to the Study of Literature, 2nd ed. Delhi: AITBS, 2006.
Kennedy, X. J., (compiler). Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry and Drama, 5th ed.
New York: Harper Collins, 1991.
Peck, John and Martin Coyle. Literary Terms and Criticism, 2nd ed. London: Macmillan,
1993.
Upham, Alfred H. Typical Forms of English Literature: An Introduction to the Historical and
Critical Study of English Literature for College Classes. Delhi: AITBS Publishers, 2004.
Wellek, Rene and Austin Warren. Theory of Literature. London: Penguin Books, 1985.
Course Lecturer: Mr. Weldon Kowogen.
kowogen@yahoo.com

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