The Monstrous Other in American Literature and Culture

Dozent/in:

Nicole K. Konopka

Termine:

Mo, 12:00 - 14:00, U5/01.18
Einzeltermin am 14.7.2023, 12:00 - 18:00, U5/02.17

Inhalt:

Following W. Scott Pool s claim that from our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture, this class is designed to identify and critically analyze the multiple and contradictory presences of such monsters in American literature and culture.

We will start with a brief historical and conceptual overview, consulting historical maps of the world, the anonymous Physiologus (200 AD), medieval almanacs, transatlantic travel accounts, freak show advertisements, medical journals, criminal records, and court files. Moving through North American history from pre-colonial times to the present, we will then study a variety of texts, such as Native American tall tales, crafts and imagery, short stories, poems, newspaper articles, pictures, TV shows and movies with an analytical focus on their changing representations of monstrosity as a particular kind of otherness.

As we navigate through the complex universe of surreal distortion, we will try to answer the following questions: How have monsters been defined in America, and how have these definitions changed over time? What is culturally specific about American monsters? Which culturally and historically specific fears (and perhaps also longings) have been projected on these monstrous others , and to which effects?

Empfohlene Literatur:

Most of the material used in class will be provided via the Virtual Campus ahead of class. Students are, however, required to purchase the following books BEFORE THE START OF THE SEMESTER:

• Arthur Miller, The Crucible (1951)
• Kirsten Bakis, Lives of the Monster Dogs (1997)
• Chris Dingess, Manifest Destiny, Volume 1: Flora and Fauna (2014)