Department of English

This course centers on the delights, dangers, and discoveries experienced by female travelers in twentieth-century fiction. Whereas women have traditionally been confined to domestic settings, we will read about women who leave home as tourists, travelers, immigrants, and adventurers. Often, the voyages "out" are at the same time voyages "in," allowing them to learn about themselves as well as about the world beyond the boundaries of their origins. Our texts will include novels by Virginia Woolf, Jean Rhys, Sylvia Townsend Warner, Doris Lessing, Jamaica Kincaid, Bharati Mukergee, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, and films by Sally Potter and Trinh T. Minh-ha. Requirements consist of an in-class presentation, a reading journal, and two papers (6-8 pages and 10-12 pages).