Literary Histories (200-0-21)

Topic

All the Single Ladies

Instructors

Elizabeth Mary Winter

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-325: Tues, Thurs 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

Following Beyoncé's iconic call to action, this course takes a look at a number of "single ladies" - and a few who managed to "put a ring on it" - in literature, film and TV from the last two hundred years. Together, we will investigate archetypal figures of femininity, from the spinster to the madwoman to today's "girlboss." How do our literary and popular media construct and deconstruct these categories at different moments in history? Pairing feminist theory with primary texts, we'll ask: how does marriage function to resolve class tensions? How does it construct and enforce constructions of race and gender? And how, according to these texts, can women find social, emotional and financial independence? Texts may include selections from Jane Eyre, The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands, A Room of One's Own, Conversations with Friends, Sex and the City, and The Bachelor.

Teaching Method

Seminar discussion, short lectures

Evaluation Method

Participation, analytical essays and a final project

Class Materials (Required)

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (ISBN 9780141441146), Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands by Mary Seacole (ISBN 0140439021), A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf ( ISBN 0156787334), Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney (ISBN 0156787334), Bridget Jones's Diary dir. Sharon Maguire (2001), selections from Sex and the City created by Darren Star (1998-2004) and The Bachelor created by Mike Fleiss (2002-2024)

Texts will be available at: Required novels at Norris Bookstore. Other excerpts provided via Canvas.

Class Attributes

Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area