Seminar in Reading and Interpretation (300-0-21)

Topic

Seduced and Abandoned: Narratives and Films

Instructors

Julia Ann Stern
847/491-3530
University Hall Room 415
Office Hours: Mondays 1:1:50; Tuesdays 10-11; and Thursdays 12:20-1

Meeting Info

Annenberg Hall G30: Mon, Wed 3:30PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

This version of English 300 will examine the following works of fiction and film: Charlotte Temple; Our N--; The Scarlet Letter; Passing and Quicksand; and Broken Blossoms, Way Down East; Double Indemnity. These narratives of seduction and abandonment span the era of the nation's founding through beyond the 20th century. We will explore the genre of melodrama, from which these plots derive, which was born out of the French Revolution's rejection of tragedy as an elitist theatrical form. According to recent film theorists, melodrama isn the underlying generic driver of cinema itself. Our discussions will focus on gender and genre, using feminist theory to make sense of melodrama, which while often denigrated today, in its heyday was a distinctly American art form.

Teaching Method

Discussion.

Evaluation Method

Short in-class essays building to longer form exegetical papers, 4-5 pages each.

Class Attributes

Advanced Expression
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-registration -- Reserved for English and Creative Writing students.