Comparative Approaches to the Literatures of Brazil and the United States

Brazil and the United States have much in common: continental territories, huge natural resources, dynamic economies and multi-ethnic populations. Yet, their histories and cultures are distinctive and unique, as suggested in Vianna Moog's classic symbolic contrast between the Brazilian bandeirante and the American pioneer. We will undertake a comparative study of the two countries' literatures over the past eighty years with an eye towards exploring contextual, thematic and technical analogies as well as differences. Faulkner, Ramos, Lispector, Morrison, Rosa, Scliar, DeLillo, Carvalho, and Doctorow. Some attention to music, film and the visual arts. Enrollment limited to 15. Conducted in English.