"Women's Literary Make-up": Mirrors, Maquillage and the Tenth Muse

Focuses on the problem of creative inspiration for women writers and how the pursuit of aesthetic perfection, both somatic and literary as well as their interrelation, becomes a recurring motif in women's writing from various traditions. Readings will include fiction and poetry from the English, Japanese, and Arab traditions, both modern and pre-modern. This is an undergraduate seminar open to juniors and seniors. Prerequisite: coursework in literature and at least one course in gender studies/women's studies. Instructor permission required.