Course Description
An introduction to the novel as a genre, with representative readings from around the world, from the sixteenth to the twenty-first centuries, with special emphasis on the relevance of the texts under discussion to the contemporary world.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Additional reading, writing, and research assignments.
Athena Title
Global Encounters Through Fict
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
- to introduce students to the novel as a genre and its development throughout the globe, with special emphasis on the relevance of text under discussion to contemporary social and ethical issues; - to trace the development of the genre in various cultural traditions; to situate the literary works within larger social and historical patterns; - to improve students' critical abilities through the analysis of individual literary works; - to develop students' communication skills through oral presentations and expository writing assignments. Students' performances will be assessed through presentations, papers, tests, and a final examination.
Topical Outline
The course is organized around readings from major world novels, with the specific works under analysis varying with the individual instructor. Special emphasis will be placed on the relevance of these texts to contemporary society around the world. Topics covered include: The novel in the West and the East; Prose fiction, the romance and the novel; The novel and the rise of print culture; Literacy, the novel, and the development of mass culture; Modernity, postmodernity, and the transformation of the novel. The following is a sample syllabus of readings for a single semester: Longus. Daphnis and Chloe Murakami. The Tale of Genji (selections) Cao Xueqin. The Story of the Stone (volume one) Cervantes. Don Quijote Stendhal. The Red and the Black Mann. The Magic Mountain Pynchon. Gravity's Rainbow Morrison. Beloved
Syllabus