ENGL 393 - Topics in Literature in English from 1700-1900 Credits: 3 in fall or winter, 4 in spring
Prerequisite: Take one English course between 201 and 295, and one between 222 and 299. Enrollment limited. A seminar course on literature written in English from 1700 to 1900 with special emphasis on research and discussion. Student suggestions for topics are welcome. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
Spring 2019, ENGL 393-01: Topic: Literature in ENglish, 1700-1900: A Monstrous Creation: Frankenstein and Its Intertexts (3). Much like the creature who haunts its pages, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is itself an assemblage of parts. Drawing on numerous literary and philosophical precedents, Shelley’s groundbreaking novel is at once deeply familiar and shockingly new. Placing Frankenstein at its center, this seminar begins with texts that Shelley invokes-including Paradise Lost, Prometheus, Rousseau, and Coleridge, among others-and ends with texts that she inspires. We consider the common mythology, questions, and concerns that all of these texts share, and also the nature of literary allusion, homage, and adaptation. Why does the Genesis story remain so central to the Western literary tradition? Why is Shelley’s creature an especially compelling representation of humankind’s fallen condition? Why does Shelley’s novel continue to resonate with modern audiences, 200 years after its publication? How does the figure of the monster evolve from Milton’s Satan to Dick’s Android? Students cultivate critical thinking and close reading through class discussion, and then deploy these same skills in a series of analytical writing assignments. (HL) Walle.
Add to Portfolio (opens a new window)
|