First-Year Seminar (101-6-25)
Topic
The Pleasures and Dangers of Reading
Instructors
Tristram Nash Wolff
Meeting Info
University Hall 318: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM
Overview of class
From its beginning, the rise of the novel was all about the overactive imaginations of passionate readers, and the dangerous effects of popular literacy. The books we read in this course are studies of emotional over-investment and varieties of censorship, addressing when and how literature and reading become dangerous (whether to individuals, social values, or the powers that be). How does reading lead to devotion, enthusiasm, madness, or transgression? And how do these effects prove revelatory? How are concerns about the effects of reading and the spread of literacy motivated by the desire to control information, freedom, and social mobility? Broadly speaking, how do reading and literary interpretation teach us new techniques for how (or how not) to interpret the world? Our course offers a brief introduction to the remarkable story of the modern novel, while exploring the influence of literary works on social values. Expectations include engaged participation, short papers, and a presentation.
Class Materials (Required)
Required texts (available at Norris):
• J. W. von Goethe, The Sorrows of Young Werther (ISBN 978-0199583027)
• Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey (ISBN 978-0199535545)
• Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (ISBN 978-0143107309)
• Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary (ISBN 978-0199535651)
• Toni Morrison, A Mercy (ISBN 978-0307276766)
Class Attributes
WCAS First-Year Seminar
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Reserved for First Year & Sophomore only
Add Consent: Department Consent Required
Drop Consent: Department Consent Required