American Literature in Magazines, 1945 to present
| Module title | American Literature in Magazines, 1945 to present |
|---|---|
| Module code | EAS3254 |
| Academic year | 2025/6 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Professor Sinead Moynihan (Lecturer) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 16 |
|---|
Module description
This module surveys the work of major U.S. writers post-1945 by reading their work in its original publishing context: magazines. It focuses on short forms (fiction, poetry, essay) and foregrounds both individual writers (e.g. James Baldwin, Truman Capote, John Cheever, Joan Didion, Shirley Jackson, Mary McCarthy, Sylvia Plath, Philip Roth) and networks of writer-intellectuals (the Beats, the New York Intellectuals and the New Journalists), grouping them together based on the magazine(s) in which their work originally appeared. Exploring commercial “slicks” as well as “little” magazines, the module considers what new perspectives on post-1945 American literature we can gain if we orient our studies around the pages of U.S. magazines.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module aims:
- To consider the significance of the original publishing context of the work of major American writers since 1945.
- To equip you with the skills to undertake primary research in periodicals and to consider critically the challenges presented by archival and other gaps.
- To showcase the heterogeneity of U.S. magazines and their contents by studying them in hard copy, microform and/or digitised format.
- To situate the primary works in question within the context of the magazine (individual issues and the magazine as a whole) as well as wider editorial, publishing, institutional and historical contexts.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Undertake, at an advanced level, primary research in periodicals.
- 2. Analyse, at an advanced level, the findings of your primary research in relation to larger literary, cultural and historical contexts and debates.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Apply, at an advanced level, skills and methodologies appropriate to English Literary Studies, particularly methodologies in periodical studies.
- 4. Identify and analyse, at an advanced level, the institutional contexts that have helped to shape the publication of literary texts.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Through research for seminars and coursework, demonstrate advanced proficiency in information retrieval and analysis.
- 6. Through coursework, demonstrate advanced writing skills underpinned by a distinctive and original critical voice.
Syllabus plan
After an introductory week, most weeks will be devoted to a case study of an individual magazine and the writers whose work appeared in its pages. The magazine case studies may include some of the following: the New Yorker, Woman’s Day, Mademoiselle, Essence, Partisan Review, Evergreen Review and Playboy. The writers we study may include some or all of the following: James Baldwin, Truman Capote, John Cheever, Joan Didion, Shirley Jackson, Mary McCarthy, Sylvia Plath, Philip Roth.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | 267 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 11 | Lectures |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 22 | Seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 207 | Reading and preparation for Scheduled Learning and Teaching |
| Guided Independent Study | 60 | Research for and writing of Summative Assessments |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magazine Research Essay | 40 | 2500 words | 1-6 | Online feedback sheet with opportunity for tutorial follow-up |
| Final Essay | 60 | 3500 words | 1-6 | Online feedback sheet with opportunity for tutorial follow-up |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magazine Research Essay (2500 words) | Magazine Research Essay (2500 words) | 1-6 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Final Essay (3500 words) | Final Essay (3500 words) | 1-6 | Referral/Deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
You should expect to read lots of periodicals in a variety of formats: hard copy, digitised and microform. The magazine case studies may include some of the following: the New Yorker, Woman’s Day, Mademoiselle, Essence, Partisan Review, Evergreen Review and Playboy.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
You should expect to read lots of periodicals in a variety of formats: hard copy, digitised and microform. The magazine case studies may include some of the following: the New Yorker, Woman’s Day, Mademoiselle, Essence, Partisan Review, Evergreen Review and Playboy.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
Women’s Magazine Archive (Proquest)
The following are all available electronically via the U of Exeter library:
Abrahamson, Davidand Carol Polsgrove. “The Right Niche: Consumer Magazines and Advertisers.” A History of the Book in America. Vol. 5. Ed. David Paul Nord et al. Chapel Hill: U of North Carolina P, 2009. 107-118.
Ardis, Ann and Patrick Collier, eds. Transatlantic Print Culture, 1880-1940: Emerging Media, Emerging Modernisms. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.
Bornstein, George. Material Modernism: The Politics of the Page. New York: Cambridge UP, 2001.
Green, Fiona, ed. Writing for the New Yorker: Critical Essays on an American Periodical. Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, 2015.
Lanzendorfer, Tim, ed. The Routledge Companion to the British and North American Literary Magazine. London: Routledge, 2021.
ELE – Faculty to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages
Indicative learning resources - Other resources
- Digitised periodicals outside the University of Exeter collections:
Partisan Review (Boston University): https://www.bu.edu/library/gotlieb-center/collections/partisan-review/
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 04/01/2025 |
| Last revision date | 04/01/2025 |