NPTEL Course: Twentieth-Century Women’s Novels | IIT Roorkee | Prof. Aruni Mahapatra
Course Details
| Exam Registration | 46 |
|---|---|
| Course Status | Ongoing |
| Course Type | Elective |
| Language | English |
| Duration | 12 weeks |
| Categories | Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit Points | 3 |
| Level | Undergraduate/Postgraduate |
| Start Date | 19 Jan 2026 |
| End Date | 10 Apr 2026 |
| Enrollment Ends | 02 Feb 2026 |
| Exam Registration Ends | 20 Feb 2026 |
| Exam Date | 24 Apr 2026 IST |
| NCrF Level | 4.5 — 8.0 |
Twentieth-Century Women’s Novels: Charting a Century of Change Through Fiction
The twentieth century was a period of seismic shifts—world wars, civil rights movements, decolonization, and the rise of feminism. Amidst this tumult, the novel evolved as a powerful medium for capturing the human experience, and women writers were at the forefront of this literary revolution. A new, in-depth NPTEL course, Twentieth-Century Women’s Novels, offered by Prof. Aruni Mahapatra of IIT Roorkee, provides a unique opportunity to explore this transformative era through the lens of groundbreaking women authors from across the globe.
About the Course Instructor: Prof. Aruni Mahapatra
Learners will be guided by an expert with distinguished academic credentials. Prof. Aruni Mahapatra is currently Assistant Professor of English at IIT Roorkee. Prior to this, he served as Assistant Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA. He holds a Ph.D. in English from Emory University and Masters degrees from both Emory University and the University of Delhi. His teaching and research, recognized by institutions like Harvard University and the Andrew Mellon Foundation, USA, and his publications with presses like Cambridge University Press, ensure a course grounded in rigorous scholarship.
Course Overview: A Global Literary Journey
This 12-week undergraduate/postgraduate level course delves into the rich tapestry of women's prose fiction from the 1920s to the 1990s. It moves beyond a single national tradition, offering a truly global perspective. Students will engage with novels that responded to and shaped critical conversations around race, gender, identity, and postcolonial reality.
Key Learning Objectives:
- Gain a comprehensive literary history of 20th-century English prose fiction through women's writing.
- Develop proficiency in feminist literary criticism and theory.
- Understand the intricate links between literature and its social, cultural, and political contexts.
- Analyze narrative techniques and thematic concerns across different decades and geographies.
Who Should Enroll?
This course is designed for a wide audience:
- UG, PG, and Ph.D. students formally studying English Literature.
- Independent learners and general readers with an interest in literary classics.
- Professionals aiming to enhance soft skills like critical thinking, empathetic imagination, and advanced communication—assets valued by all industries.
Detailed 12-Week Course Layout
The course is meticulously structured, dedicating each week to a seminal novel, examining its biographical, historical, and critical dimensions.
| Week | Novel & Author (Year) | Key Focus Areas |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Passing by Nella Larsen (1929) | Harlem Renaissance, racial identity, gender. |
| Week 2 | Nightwood by Djuna Barnes (1936) | Modernism, queer aesthetics, exile. |
| Week 3 | Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (1937) | African-American folk tradition, female voice. |
| Week 4 | The Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen (1938) | Pre-WWII anxiety, childhood innocence. |
| Week 5 | A Severed Head by Iris Murdoch (1961) | Philosophical fiction, post-war morality. |
| Week 6 | A Question of Power by Bessie Head (1973) | Postcolonial Africa, mental health, exile. |
| Week 7 | Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson (1980) | Transience, family, American landscape. |
| Week 8 | Beloved by Toni Morrison (1987) | History of slavery, trauma, memory. |
| Week 9 | No Telephone to Heaven by Michelle Cliff (1987) | Jamaican identity, colonialism, revolution. |
| Week 10 | Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga (1988) | Zimbabwe, colonialism, gender, education. |
| Week 11 | Possession by A.S. Byatt (1990) | Historiographic metafiction, Victorian/Modern. |
| Week 12 | Memories of Rain by Sunetra Gupta (1992) | Diaspora, cultural displacement, memory. |
Why This Course Matters: Beyond Literature
Studying these novels is not just an academic exercise. As highlighted in the course description, the skills honed—close reading, critical analysis, empathetic understanding, and articulate communication—are directly transferable to the professional world. Industries consistently seek individuals with strong decision-making, leadership, and emotional intelligence, all of which are cultivated through deep engagement with complex literary texts.
This NPTEL course is more than a literature class; it's a journey through the defining struggles and triumphs of the twentieth century, narrated in some of its most powerful and enduring voices. Enroll to understand the past, interpret the present, and develop skills for the future.
Explore the syllabus and enroll via the official NPTEL portal.
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