English
The Literature & Historiography of National Trauma: Partition & South Asia
ENGL-393-401, Cross Listed with: COML-392-401; ARTH-391-402; SAST-323-401
TR 12:00 AM-1:30 PM
Suvir Kaul
BFS Sector III
This course will examine the ways in which imaginative literature and film have addressed the difficult socio-political issues leading up to, and following from, the independence and partition of British India. Pakistan and India came into being as nation-states in moments of great national trauma: historians have long argued over the process that led up to Partition, and we will study some of these debates, but for the most part we will examine novels, short stories, poetry, and some films to think about the impact of Partition and Independence on communities and individuals in South Asia. In doing so, we will recognize the continuing role played by these events and experiences in shaping the cultural, social, and political realities of contemporary South Asia. We will also learn about the crucial role played by literary and creative texts in making available to us the full dimensions of human tragedy, especially those precipitated when the imperatives of nation-formation redefine the lives of individuals or of sub-national communities.
Introduction to Shakespeare
ENGL-326-301
MW 2:00 PM-3:30 PM
Phyllis Rosalyn Rackin
BFS Sector III
Although Shakespeare’s plays are usually studied as high canonical literature, they were originally written as playscripts designed for the entertainment of a disorderly, socially heterogeneous crowd and the financial profit of the players. This course will attempt to resituate the plays in their original theatrical setting. We will study a representative selection of Shakespeare’s comedies, tragedies, and histories (to be chosen by the class at the first meeting) along with background material on Shakespeare’s theater and his culture.
There will be one or two hour-exams, one or two short papers, and a final exam. In addition, students are expected to meet in study groups outside of class and to make thoughtful, well-informed contributions to the class listserv and discussions.
Reading Joyce
ENGL-358-301
TR 9:00 AM-10:30 AM
Jean-Michel Rabate
BFS Sector III
The ambition of this course is to be able to analyze and understand Ulysses. In order to approach the novel and assess Joyce’s point of departure, we will take a look at Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Exiles. Our main focus will be Ulysses. We will study its main themes, the artist vs. the citizen, Irish nationalism and cosmopolitanism, the role of the city of Dublin in the book, issues of tolerance and religious difference, the aesthetics of everyday life, the place of women, the role of paternity. We will use Declan Kiberd’s Ulysses and Us as a guide through the chapters.