CMS.920
Popular Culture and Narrative
Examines relationships between popular culture and art, focusing on problems of evaluation and audience, and the uses of different media within a broader social context. Typically treats a range of narrative and dramatic works as well as films. Previously taught topics include Elements of Style; Gender, Sexuality and Popular Narrative. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Approved for credit in Women's and Gender Studies when content meets the requirements for subjects in that program. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor.
Fall 2015 · Popular Culture and Narrative: Use and Abuse of the Fairy Tale
Topics
- Introduction: Folklore and Print Culture; Links between Oral Tradition and Literary Culture
- John M. Ellis: One Fairy Story Too Many ; Germany in the Age of the Grimms; Perrault and the Written Fairy Tale Tradition
- Classic Fairy Tales
- Vladimir Propp: The Russian Folktale
- Robert Kirk: The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies
- Bruno Bettelheim: The Uses of Enchantment ; Freudian Theory and the Fairy Tale
- Marie–Louise von Franz, Jungian Theory and the Fairy Tale
- The Literary Fairy Tale: Hans Christian Andersen and After
- Abuse of the Fairy Tale?: The Nazis and German Folklore, Christa Kamenetsky, and Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
- Classic Angela Carter Stories
- Liz Lochead: Grimm Sisters
- Last Class
Readings
- [T] = Tatar, Maria, ed. The Classic Fairy Tales . W. W. Norton & Company, 1999. ISBN: 9780393972771.
- Lord, Albert B. The Singer of Tales . 2nd ed. Edited by Stephen Mitchell and Gregory Nagy. Harvard University Press, 2000. ISBN: 9780674002838.
- [B] = Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales . Vintage, 1975, and later edns.
- [K] = Kamanetsky, Christa. Children’s Literature in Hitler’s Germany: The Cultural Policy of National Socialism . Ohio University Press, 1984. ISBN: 9780821406991.
- [C] = Carter, Angela. The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories . Penguin Books, 1990. ISBN: 9780140178210.
- SES #: 1 · TOPICS: Introduction: Folklore and Print Culture; Links between Oral Tradition and Literary Culture · READINGS: No readings
- SES #: 2–4 · TOPICS: John M. Ellis: One Fairy Story Too Many ; Germany in the Age of the Grimms; Perrault and the Written Fairy Tale Tradition · READINGS: Ellis, John M. One Fairy Story too Many: The Brothers Grimm and their Tales . University of Chicago Press, 1983. ISBN: 9780226205465.
- SES #: 5 · TOPICS: Classic Fairy Tales · READINGS: [T] “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Beauty and the Beast.” Pp. 3–72.
- SES #: 6 · TOPICS: Classic Fairy Tales (cont.) · READINGS: [T] “Snow White,” “Cinderella,” “Bluebeard” and “Hansel and Gretel.” Pp. 74–211.
- [P] Chapter 3: Wonder Tales, pp. 147–224.
- [PV] Chapter 3: The Functions of Dramatis Personae, pp. 25–65.
- Evans–Wentz, Walter. The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries . University of California Libraries, 1911.
- Hall, Calvin S., and Vernon J. Nordby. A Primer of Jungian Psychology . Taplinger Publishing Company, 1973. ISBN: 9780800865542.
- [V] Chapters 1–5: Preface, pp. 1–113.
- SES #: 15 · TOPICS: Jungian Theory Concluded · READINGS: [V] Chapter 7, pp. 114–97.
- Dickens, Charles. “The Magic Fishbone.” In Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales . Edited by Alison Lurie. Oxford University Press, 1993. ISBN: 9780192142184.
- Baum, L. F. “The Queen of Quok.” In Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales . Edited by Alison Lurie. Oxford University Press, 1993. ISBN: 9780192142184.
- Dick, Philip K. “The King of the Elves.” In Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales . Edited by Alison Lurie. Oxford University Press, 1993. ISBN: 9780192142184.
- Asbosen, Hans Christian. “Snow White and the Seven Dads.” In The Asbo Fairy Tales . Michael O’Mara Books Limited, 2008. ISBN: 9781843172932.
- Warner, Sylvia Townsend. “Bluebeard’s Daughter.” In Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales . Edited by Alison Lurie. Oxford University Press, 1993. ISBN: 9780192142184.
- SES #: 20 · TOPICS: Abuse of the Fairy Tale? (cont.): Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs · READINGS: Disney, Walt. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs . Golden / Disney, 2003, ISBN: 9780736421867.
- Lochhead, Liz. “Grimm Sisters.” Sequence from Dreaming Frankenstein and Collected Poems 1967–1984 . Birlinn Limited, 2003, ISBN: 9780954407513.
- Lochhead, Liz. “The Choosing.” From Memo for Spring , 1972. Blographia Literaria.
- SES #: 26 · TOPICS: Last Class · READINGS: No new readings assigned
Spring 2013 · Popular Culture and Narrative: Serial Storytelling
Serial Storytelling examines the ways the passing and unfolding of time structures narratives in a range of media. From Rembrandt's lifetime of self-portraits to The Wire, Charles Dickens' Pickwick Papers to contemporary journalism and reportage, we will focus on the relationships between popular culture and art, the problems of evaluation and audience, and the ways these works function within their social context.
Fall 2010 · Popular Culture and Narrative: Literature, Comics, and Culture
In this course, we will investigate popular culture and narrative by focusing on the relationship between literary texts and comics. Several questions shape the syllabus and provide a framework for approaching the course materials: How do familiar aspects of comics trace their origins to literary texts and broader cultural concerns? How have classic comics gone on to influence literary fiction? In what ways do contemporary graphic narratives bring a new kind of seriousness of purpose to comics, blurring what's left of the boundaries between the highbrow and the lowbrow? Readings and materials for the course range from the nineteenth century to the present, and include novels, short stories, essays, older and newer comics, and some older and newer films. Expectations include diligent reading, active participation, occasional discussion leading, and two papers.
Readings
- Burroughs, Edgar R. Tarzan of the Apes . New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2010. ISBN: 9780199542888.
- Rosenberg, Yudl. The Golem and the Wondrous Deeds of the Maharal of Prague . New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2008. ISBN: 9780300143201.
- Chabon, Michael. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay . New York, NY: Picador, 2001. ISBN: 9780312282998.
- Schulz, Charles M. The Complete Peanuts 1950-1952 . Seattle, WA: Fantagraphics, 2004. ISBN: 9781560975892.
- Clowes, Daniel. Ghost World . Seattle, WA: Fantagraphics, 2001. ISBN: 9781560974277.
- Sturm, James. James Sturm’s America: God, Gold, and Golems . Montreal, Canada: Drawn and Quarterly, 2007. ISBN: 9781897299050.
- Satrapi, Marjane. The Complete Persepolis . New York, NY: Pantheon Books, 2007. ISBN: 9780375714832.
- Friedrich, Nietzsche. A Nietzsche Reader . New York, NY: Penguin Classics, 1978, pp. 232-248. ISBN: 9780140443295.
- Siegel, J., and J. Shuster. “The Reign of the Super-Man.” Science Fiction: The Vanguard of Future Civilization 1, no. 3 (January 1933): 1-8.
- ———. Superman Weeklies , 1939.
- ———. “Action Comics.” In The Superman Chronicles. Vol. I. New York, NY: DC Comics, 2006, pp. 3-30.
- ———. “Superman.” In Superman in the Forties . New York, NY: DC Comics, 2005, pp. 195-196. ISBN: 9781401204570.
- Lee, S., and J. Kirby. “The Fantastic Four.” In Origins of Marvel Comics . New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1974, pp. 20-44.
- ———. “The Incredible Hulk.” In Origins of Marvel Comics . New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1962, pp. 80-103.
- Siegel, J., and J. Shuster. “How Superman Would End the War.” Look Magazine , February 27, 1940.
- Marston, W. M., and H. G. Peter. “Wonder Woman.” DC Comics , no. 1 (1942): 54-66.
- Wertham, F. Excerpt from Seduction of the Innocent .
- Simon, J., and J. Kirby. “Meet Captain America.” Marvel Masterworks , no. 1 (1941): 1-8.
- ———. “Captain America and the Riddle of the Red Skull.” Marvel Masterworks , no. 1 (2005): 37-49.
Fall 2004 · Popular Narrative: Masterminds
Topics
- Introduction - Welcome Aboard
- Marlowe, Christopher. Dr. Faustus.
- First journal due
- Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein.
- Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “The Birthmark,” and “Rappacini’s Daughter.”
- Journal due
- Doyle, Arthur Conan. A Study in Scarlet.
- An open discussion of modern “Sherlockery.” Take the time to watch an episode of any of the current “detective shows” - especially the “scientific” shows like the assorted versions of “CSI” or “Crossing Jordan.” More traditional “procedurals” like “NYPD Blue” or “Law and Order” will serve just fine, though. No matter which one.
- Hillerman, Tony. Sacred Clowns.
- LeCarre, John. The Tailor of Panama.
- Brecht, Bertolt. Galileo.
- Banville, John. Kepler.
- Frayn, Michael. Copenhagen.
- We’ll do some organizing - your task this week will be to seek out and interview an MIT grad student about the “pursuit of mastery.” If you’re desperate to have something to read, there is a good book about the Whitehead: Natalie Angier, Natural Obsessions, and a more recent autobiography, Pepper White’s The Idea Factory.
- Journal Assignment: Summarize your findings about the life of MIT grad students.
- Discussion of the results of your research on grad students.
- Final presentations due
Readings
- Hillerman, Tony. Sacred Clowns. New York, NY: HarperTorch, 1994. ISBN: 9780061092602.
- Banville, John. Kepler. New York, NY: Vintage, 1993. ISBN: 9780679743705.
- Brecht, Bertolt. Galileo. New York, NY: Grove Press, 1994. ISBN: 9780802130594.
- Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “The Birthmark,” and “Rappacini’s Daughter.” Chapters in Young Goodman Brown and Other Short Stories. New York, NY: Dover Publications, 1992. ISBN: 9780486270609.
- LeCarre, John. The Tailor of Panama. New York, NY: Ballantine Books, 1997. ISBN: 9780345420435.
- Gleick, James. Isaac Newton. New York, NY: Vintage, 2004. ISBN: 9781400032952.
- Frayn, Michael. Copenhagen. New York, NY: Anchor Books, 2000. ISBN: 9780385720793.
- Angier, Natalie. Natural Obsessions. New York, NY: Mariner Books, 1999.
- White, Pepper. The Idea Factory: Learning to Think at MIT. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2001.
- Bloom, Harold. “Introduction: What Is Genius?” Chapter in Genius: A Mosaic of One Hundred Exemplary Creative Minds. New York, NY: Warner Books, 2002.
- Kidder, Tracy. Among Schoolchildren. New York, NY: William Morrow & Company, Inc., 1982.
- Edmundson, Mark. Teacher. New York, NY: Vintage, 2003.
- Thomas, Lewis. “Becoming a Doctor.” In The Eloquent Essay: An Anthology of Classic & Creative Nonfiction. Edited with an introduction by John Loughery. New York, NY: Persea Books, 2000, pp. 120-129. ISBN: 9780892552412.
- Williams, William Carlos. “The Use of Force,” and “Old Doc Rivers.” Chapters in The Farmers’ Daughters: The Collected Stories of William Carlos Williams. New York, NY: New Directions, 1961.
- ———. “Medicine,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” and “First Years of Practice.” Chapters in The Autobiography of William Carlos Williams. New York, NY: New Directions, 1967.
- Selzer, Richard. Mortal Lessons: Notes on the Art of Surgery. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1987.
- ———. Letters to a Young Doctor. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1982.
Prerequisites & course information
Subject meets with 21L.430[J] , CMS.320[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Spring) 3-0-9 units Can be repeated for credit.
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Fall 2015
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- MIT OCW calendar ↗
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Spring 2013
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Fall 2010
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Fall 2004
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- MIT OCW calendar ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.