This module focuses on four major European novels which will be studied in translation. Whilst the main focus of the course is on the four prescribed texts, the lectures and seminars will also explore the author's oeuvre as a whole, the historical and ideological contexts impinging on their work, and general themes such as their place in the European novel tradition, narrative structure, characterisation and psychology. Students are encouraged to explore these contextual approaches to each text and to reflect on the different contributions each text makes to the tradition of the novel.