Department of English

In this course we will read several types of narratives written in different periods and in different parts of the world, ranging from ancient Greek and Sanskrit drama to modern African, Latin American and South Asian fiction. We will discuss the different techniques of storytelling, and what attitudes to love and war, sexuality and power, tradition and rebellion are inscribed in these stories. In this way, we will consider how literature reveals historical connections and conversations, as well as asks large philosophical questions shared across cultures. 

Readings will likely include 

Sophocles, Antigone;  Kalidasa, Shakuntala; William Shakespeare Othello, 

Joseph Conrad, The Heart of Darkness, Tayib Salih Season of Migration to the North; Ama Ata Aidoo, Our Sister Killjoy; Alejo Carpentier, The Kingdom of this World; 

Arundhati Roy The God of Small Things; Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Chronicle of a Death Foretold and Shyam Selvadurai Funny Boy 

Fulfills 

Sector 1: Theory and Poetics of the English Standard Major 

Sector 2: Language, Literature and Culture of the English Standard Major

Sector 6: 20th Century Literature of the English Standard Major 

Sector III: Arts & Letters of the College's General Education Curriculum 

Cross Cultural Requirement of the College's General Education Curriculum 

Requirements: consistent class participation, weekly posts (1-2 pages), a mid-term and a final examination.