Topics in Comparative Literature: Myth and Modernism

This course explores how the force of narrative arises from the play between the adult's perspective and the child's. Topics considered include orphanhood, social change, creative forces, and institutions of power. We pay particular attention to the child's voice as a narrative strategy used to confront unfathomable horrors, to reconstruct history, and to offer order to personal upheavals. We will discuss what these narratives reveal about the societies they purport to reflect as well as the nature of narrative itself to convey history, values, and emotion. Texts include readings such as Nurrudin Farah, MAPS; Stella Gibbons, COLD COMFORT FARM; Craig Thompson, BLANKETS; Philippe Grimbert, MEMORY; Dorothy Allison, BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA; Amos Oz, TALE OF LOVE AND DARKNESS; and Hanan al-Shaykh, STORY OF ZAHRA. Prereq: Writing 1, sophomore standing, or permission of the instructors.

Course Attributes: EN H; BU Hum; AS HUM; AS LCD; FA HUM; AR HUM

Topics in Comparative Literature: Myth and Modernism

ENGLISH LITERATURE 385A

Section 01