Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An Introduction to the study of literature within the wider cultural field, with a focus on contemporary issues across genres and media. Students with credit for ENGL 105W may not take this course for further credit. Writing/Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

THE LITERATURE OF END TIMES
Unstoppable plagues, cataclysmic wars, natural disasters, merciless invaders: currently, popular culture appears obsessed with apocalyptic scenarios and their grim aftermath. And yet the fascination with end times is not a new one. This course will trace the roots of the catastrophic imagination, utilizing a diverse cross-section of literary texts to highlight the complex interconnectedness of literature and culture. From the bleak linguistic landscapes of King Lear, to the pervasive Doomsday Clock in Watchmen, to the relentless desolation of The Road, we will consider literature as a powerful tool for expressing cultural anxieties related to the past, present, and future. Our thematic focus will allow us to place a diverse range of narratives and genres in critical conversations as we analyze the capabilities of literature to represent cultural unease at the level of the national, the communal, and the individual human psyche. Our readings will also allow us to consider how, and to what ends, literature can weigh and critique developments in science and technology. In addition to considering how each of our texts engages its own historical moment, whenever possible, we will also discuss their relevance to issues of our own time. How might Shelley's Frankenstein, for instance, be read through the lens of recent warnings about the dangers of artificial intelligence? Ultimately, as we develop our critical reading and writing skills, we will reflect on how the literature of end times is not necessarily an expression of hopelessness, but rather a potent site of creativity, cultural regeneration, and new beginnings.

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING: