Britannia did indeed once rule the waves, controlling an empire that encompassed a quarter of the globe. In the estimation of many, literature was a crucial component of its power. This course will examine the nature of Britain's cultural power, as well as the ways colonial authors answered back through an assertive rewriting of the British canon. We will read classic texts of British literature - Charlotte Brontë's JANE EYRE, E.M. Forster's HOWARD'S END, Joseph Conrad's HEART OF DARKNESS - in tandem with later reworkings of them by authors such as Zadie Smith and Jean Rhys, in order to tease out the implications of literary emendation and adaptation. The course will also look at film versions of these works, as well as some critical theories of revision, hoping to shed light on both the opportunities and the pitfalls of attempting to critique a system of thought within the constraints of that very system. Note: This course may fulfill the global or minority literatures requirement for students who declare an English major in the fall 2021 semester and beyond.
Course Attributes: EN H; AS HUM; AS LCD; FA HUM; EL TC; EL GML