17 August 2026
I’m back from a holiday, where I spent a most of it reading, exercising, and eating, but not all at the same time.
I’ve managed to get through a number of texts, which I’m really pleased about. I managed to get more of a handle on the Goethe text. I reminded me a bit of Rousseau’s ramblings since I guess it was from the same romantic era. I found it really difficult to like Gibson’s novel. I won’t go on about it here, since this isn’t the time (or the place), but I didn’t feel that any of his characters had any depth to them. I really liked the Primo Levy text that is on the reading list. Finally, I spent quite a few hours reading through Lear. The introduction was really helpful, and having watched it before going on holiday really helped, but I still need to read it again.
There were other books I also got through. There was Will Storr’s The Science of Storytelling (which I read with another project in mind), and Stephen Greenblatt’s book Dark Renaissance, which was all about Kit Marlowe.
There’s are three other books that I got as really thoughtful birthday gifts: Aristotle’s Poetics (which is on the A893 reading list), An Introduction to Literary, Criticism and Theory by Bennett and Royle, and a book about literary modernism, entitled All That is Solid Melts into Air by Marshall Berman.
I’ve just noticed that the module website is open. I’ve had a quick poke around and there are some unread messages on the module forum. I can’t remember having ever started a module in September before, but I probably have.
20 August 2026
I’m astonished by the number of forum posts that have landed in my inbox, and we’re not yet (quite) at the start of the module. A couple of days ago, I got stuck in. I shared a brief introduction, and then later replied to a message.
I’ve also signed up for a couple of social media groups and channels; an A893 Facebook group, and a WhatsApp group that appears to be for students studying the part 1 and part 2 modules. It doesn’t look like there is one that is specifically dedicated to A893 26I.
I’ve been mildly scratching my head about which direction to go in for block 3. One of the reasons I’m questioning my earlier decision is that I’ve already written about one of the texts that is being mentioned. I think I’ll probably ask my tutor at an opportune moment.
This takes me to my final note, which is: we haven’t yet got a tutor, but we’re likely to get one any day now. There are also likely to be a set of tutorials, which I’m really looking forward to.
23 August 2026
I’ve had a quick look at the general discussion forum; there have been loads of posts since I last looked. There were questions about how to get started, referencing, and how to read the materials online (when there are no printed course books like we had with the undergraduate modules).
On that point, I had a look at my Kindle to see whether I had already downloaded the first couple of resources. One was missing, so I downloaded it, and emailed it to my Kindle account, and added it to my A893 library). I had initially planned on reading the Situating Conrad resource, and the reading guide. Figuring out that I have relatively easy access to these resources feels like a mild success; that’s all I’m able to achieve today (!)
24 August 2026
I’ve started! I’ve read the situating Conrad resource, and I’m about halfway through the reading guide. There was something that jumped out at my: a reference to text called Afropeans, that a good friend had mentioned earlier this year. I’ve asked him whether he still has a copy.
I have three study objectives for today: finish reading the reading guide, watch a video resource, and download a critical article from the module website and send it to my Kindle.
A final note for today: the reader resource highlighted the writing of Mary Kingsley (Wikipedia). I did a quick search to see if there was anything on Project Gutenberg, and I found this very interesting looking book: Travels in West Africa: Congo Français, Corisco and Cameroons. I’ve never heard of her before. A quick search on BBC Sounds took me to a programme called Great Lives.
25 August 2026
I thought it would do me good to have a proper read of Unit 1, which is all about library research skills, although I generally feel pretty confident. What stuck me is that there are now so many more research results being suggested than there were when the module materials were written. I need to remember the key databases: MLA International Bibliography, ProQuest One Literature and JSTOR. I tend to get to these through the library English collection page. There’s also the Literature in English link too.
It is curious (and mildly annoying) that the module insists on using the MHRA style for referencing and citation. A style guide can be downloaded (MHRA.org.uk), which covers more than just referencing. An immediate reflection is that Harvard is likely to be more readable with documents that reference a lot sources, especially when there are multiple sources published by single author.
The unit ends with some familiar useful stuff: dictionaries of words and summaries of biographies, and pointers to periodical collections.
One thing that I have learnt is that it is possible to connect your use of Google Scholar to the OU library. This means that if something interesting is pulled up via Google Scholar, it could be possible to view it through the OU library service.
Next task: units 2 and 3, and a couple of reading guides.
29 August 2026
I’ve done various bits of study today. I’ve read through units 2 and 3. I started to read the unit 3 reading guide, but realised I was starting to get tired, so decided that enough was enough.
Unit 2 introduces the concept of literary theory (which remains quite a nebulous idea in my own mind) and different approaches to reading. It points us to a number of different textbooks. In the accompanying reader, I note Bennett and Royle is referenced, which is reassuring.
Unit 3 contains some useful links to some library databases that I’ve never seen before. It also begins to get into the idea of a ‘research question’. Coming from a scientific tradition, I’m struggling to understand what it means in terms of literature and ‘a text’. This is, I guess, where all the literary theory and criticism comes into play.
I had a bit of a look into the forums, and there was a link to an eBook version of the Norton edition of Heart of Darkness (ebooks.com), which might be useful. This reminds me; I need to spend a bit more time with my paper copy, to familiarise myself with the secondary readings.
A final note is that I’ve ordered a bunch of books, including Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, which has been recommended to me (by my same friend who is going to lend me Afropeans).