Topic Outline
In this second of two courses designed to explore world literature, students will read a variety of literary texts, encountering diverse voices and genres from around the globe in order to better appreciate, understand, and analyze them. Literary works will be considered within their historical, socio-cultural contexts with an emphasis on noting cross-cultural influences and engaging personally with diverse texts.
The following is a list of general topics and subtopics which are likely to be covered.
- Primary Texts
- Representing multiple genres including personal essay, short fiction, novel, poetry, and drama
- Representing voices from around the globe
- Literary Elements
- Literary elements such as theme, motif, character development, symbolism, allusion
- The role of translation
- The process of adaptation between genres
- Socio-cultural Context
- Sociological values such as the role of women, social class, and cultural hierarchy
- Cultural values such as the value placed on the literary arts and the biography of the author
- Historical-political Context
- Political structures of the time such as local and national governments, relationships with neighboring nations, and economic stability
- Specific historical events such as war, drought or famine, territorial expansion, treatment of the labor class, government overthrow or other shift in leadership
- World culture
- Connections, influences, and migrations from and on other world literatures
- Comparisons and contrasts with contemporary Western and personal perspectives