Fachbereich 7

Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft


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Vorheriges Semester

The Social Formation of Literature


DozentIn: Jatin Wagle

Veranstaltungstyp: Seminar

Ort: 41/E07

Zeiten: Di. 12:00 - 14:00 (wöchentlich)

Beschreibung: Not all that we read do we consider to be literature. But, how do we come to call some of what we read as literature? What is it that makes a certain combination of words turn into “literature”? While reading literary texts and discussing them, these questions are not necessarily the uppermost in our minds, as we tend to view texts as relatively stable objects of our reading(s). Perhaps, we are so engrossed in scouring them for meanings that such issues appear to be distant or even irrelevant. But, if we stop considering the literary text simply as a given and start posing questions regarding the historical development of the category and institution of “literature”, we are prompted to inquire into its social formation. Such an inquiry entails a review of a series of debates regarding the relationship between literature and society, which have raged over the last century or so within literary and cultural studies.
This course aims to rejoin these debates and take up some of the following concerns: literary as opposed to social value and taste; autonomy versus the social immersion of literature; the apparent antagonism of literary form and social context; literary canons and traditions; literature and political dominance; and the oppositional/critical role of literature. We would address these issues by engaging with significant theoretical positions from across the twentieth century. Moreover, we will also attempt to read twentieth century poetic and fictional texts in the context of these debates within literary and cultural theory.
Please note that the readings in this seminar will be challenging and would demand careful preparation and thoughtful discussion. Moreover, this seminar is recommended for advanced master’s students, since it builds upon their awareness and understanding of the advanced concepts and theories in literary and cultural studies.
We will be discussing the following novels in our course:
Paul Beatty, _The White Boy Shuffle_ (1996) [ISBN: 978-1786072252]
This is an American Studies course and shares requirements and guidelines with all other American Studies courses taught at IfAA. The “American Studies Toolkit” in the Stud.IP “Files” section outlines these requirements and guidelines. Please see the “Guidelines for Seminar Papers” for information on the formal requirements for the final paper.
The required readings with a tentative schedule will be made available online on Stud.IP before our first class. Please check the course webpages on Stud.IP regularly for updates, announcements, and changes.
General requirements:
• Regular attendance, homework and active participation in classroom discussions. If you skip a session, it will be your responsibility to follow up on the course content and allotted tasks.
• All course participants will need to read each of the texts being discussed in the class carefully, prepare their notes or questions diligently, and if applicable, post them on Stud.IP wikis set up for the purpose.
Requirements for grade: All of the above, and a seminar paper (approx. 6000 words).


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