In this subject you will explore the connections between the novel and modernity. Following the novel from its invention in the 17th century, this subject will investigate how novels have been sites of experimentation from the genre's beginnings right up to the present moment, and we will analyse the ways in which the genre understands itself as being "novel" (that is, new) in its engagement with social and cultural change. Students will hone their understanding of textual analysis, literary history and the role of structure and historical and political context in making a novel's meaning. Students completing this subject will encounter a range of novels from a range of literary periods, and will develop an understanding of the way in which the genre has developed over time. By closely analysing how authors from different cultural moments have represented and changed the worlds they live in, this subject will enrich students' understanding of how writing, critical reading and literary analysis are part of global citizenship.