L00228 - ENGLISH LITERATURE I

SECTION 1
The historical and literary context from the 19th to the 20th century represents a period of profound rupture with the previous tradition, characterised by the crisis of established aesthetic paradigms and the emergence of new forms of expression. The major historical events of the century (world wars, industrial revolution, mass society) exerted a significant influence on literary production, leading to the emergence of historical avant-garde movements and innovative narrative techniques such as stream of consciousness and interior monologue. This process of transformation redefined the role of literature, which evolved from a means of entertainment and moral education to a laboratory for aesthetic experimentation and a tool for critical interpretation of modern reality. This opened up new interpretative perspectives and expanded the semantic possibilities of the literary text.



SECTION 2
This section will analyse the works of Virginia Woolf, William Somerset Maugham and Patrick McGrath.
Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) is widely regarded as one of the most innovative figures of European literary modernism. She is renowned for her contributions to 20th-century fiction, particularly through her systematic use of stream of consciousness and interior monologue. A member of the Bloomsbury Group, Woolf was committed to the struggles for civil rights and gender equality. In her literary works, she broke with traditional literary conventions, favouring psychological exploration of characters over conventional plots. It is evident that her most significant works, including Mrs Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, The Waves, and the essay A Room of One's Own, have firmly established her as a pioneering figure in the realm of modern feminism and a seminal reference point for contemporary fiction. Her oeuvre combines formal experimentation, social commitment and theoretical reflection, thus confirming her central position in the canon of modern literature.
William Somerset Maugham (1874–1965) is widely regarded as one of the most prominent and prolific British writers of the 20th century. The author of a variety of literary works, including novels, short stories, plays and essays, he is renowned for his lucid and unadorned narrative style, as well as his acute observation of human behaviour. Among his most renowned works is The Razor's Edge, a partly autobiographical novel widely regarded as his magnum opus. Maugham travelled extensively, and many of his stories are set in exotic locations in Asia, Africa and the Pacific, always with a psychological and moral slant. Despite the fact that official critics have occasionally underrated him in comparison to his more experimental contemporaries, Maugham remains a central figure in modern English fiction due to his narrative talent and profound knowledge of the human soul.
Patrick McGrath (born 1950) is a contemporary British writer whose literary works are characterised by a gothic and psychological style, with a focus on the darker aspects of the human psyche.The thematic content of his works frequently explores themes such as madness, alienation and dual identity, characterised by a sophisticated and unsettling artistic style. One of his most celebrated novels is Asylum (1996). The experience of being raised in proximity to a psychiatric hospital under the management of his father served as a significant source of inspiration for McGrath in his artistic pursuits. He employed his personal history to craft a distinctive style characterised by a sense of foreboding and an overwhelming feeling of confinement. His fiction combines elements of the Victorian Gothic novel with a modern sensibility, thus establishing him as a unique voice in contemporary British literature.