This class studies how narrative works—not only in textual fictions, but also in painting, the graphic novel, film and hypertext. In a sense, then, the class takes off where the introduction to literary studies ended. We will read Mike Bal’s Introduction to the Theory of Narrative and apply its framework to Karen Tei Yamashita’s novel Tropic of Orange. We will then have a look at an important painting: Aaron Douglas’s Aspiration. We will study Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel Fun Home and look at the narrative aspects of Ridley Scott’s movie Blade Runner. Finally, we will explore Mark Bowden’s Hypertext Black Hawk Down (Philadelphia Inquirer). The objective of the class is to discuss the meaning and functioning of narrative and to compare elements of narrative across media. There will be a moodle site for this class: keyword “Aspiration”. Reading: Mike Bal, Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative, Toronto: University of Toronto P., 2009 Karen Tei Yamashita, Tropic of Orange. Minneapolis: Coffee House Press, 1997. Alison Bechdel, Fun Home. New York: Mariner Books, 2006. Viewing: Aaron Douglas, Aspiration. 1936 (Painting). Retrieved from: http://deyoung.famsf.org/files/collectionicons/index2.html Ridley Scott (dir.), Blade Runner, 1982. Director’s Cut, 116 min. Viewing and Reading: Mark Bowden, Black Hawk Down, 1997. http://inquirer.philly.com/packages/somalia/ Requirements: Course Requirements are participation and relatively classical presentations. As Module Exam you have to pass an oral exam on your individual literature list (unless you did this in module 4, then you have to write a term paper in this module). |
