Literature,Authoritythe State

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Literature, Authority, and the State This course proposes a transnational exploration of the ways in which novelists have attempted to grapple with state power. How is state authority depicted in literary texts? What is the role of the individual in such texts? How have these texts been received and what controversies have they spurred? What is, or will be, the legacy of these texts? What specificity can we ascribe to the novel as a means of depicting state authority? Alongside several novels, we will read a variety of historical, theoretical, and critical texts that will facilitate our analysis. As a writing-intensive course, this class also aims to help students develop their academic writing skills. Meetings will be a combination of lecture and seminar format, depending on the topic and the purpose of each class.