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Semester 1

Comparative Literature in a European and Global Perspective (ORDINARY) (ELCC09001)

Subject

European Languages and Cultures

College

CAHSS

Credits

20

Normal Year Taken

3

Delivery Session Year

2023/2024

Pre-requisites

Visiting Students should have two years of experience at University level of studying literature in any European language, including English. **Please see Additional Restrictions below**

Course Summary

At the crossroads of new academic trends and exciting critical debates in research areas such as Postcolonial Studies, World Literature or Translation Studies, this team-taught course will introduce students to the theory and practice of Comparative Literature in its twenty-first century context. We will be comparing seminal works originally published in English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Russian and Japanese, via a series of key transversal themes. All texts studied will be available in English translation.

Course Description

Finding its roots in nineteenth century Europe, Comparative Literature has been marked by a recurring institutional instability. This discipline aiming to bridge the gap between literary, cultural and linguistic traditions is currently being reshaped by a series of major global phenomena in academia and beyond (decolonization, multilingualism, etc.). Acknowledging its European origins but moving away from a Euro-centric perspective, the course will explore and compare seminal works originally published in English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Russian and Japanese, via a series of key transversal themes: the representation of cities across various media, between reality and fiction; the afterlives of iconic characters such as Don Quixote; the translation and transnational reception of literary works, genres (e.g. novel, autobiography, etc.) and styles; writing the self and identities between languages and cultures; historical, national and political stereotypes and archetypes, between the universal and the particular. As part of the course, we will be discussing trailblazing authors such as Miguel de Cervantes, Tommaso Campanella, Natsume Soseki, Kobo Abe, Italo Calvino, Vladimir Nabokov and Salman Rushdie, who all contribute to, and question, modernity understood in its broadest sense. All texts studied will be available in English, although students will be encouraged to read them in the original languages whenever possible. For their oral presentation and their essay, students will be expected to develop a comparative analysis of the literary works discussed, taking into account their historical, cultural and linguistic context, but also their genre and formal features (structure, style, tone, etc.). All texts studied will be available in English, although students will be encouraged to read them in the original languages whenever possible. Students will also be expected to work in cross-linguistic autonomous learning groups.

Assessment Information

Written Exam 0%, Coursework 100%, Practical Exam 0%

Additional Restrictions

This course is high-demand, meaning that there is a very high number of students wishing to enrol in a very limited number of spaces. Enrolment is managed by the Visiting Student Office, in line with the quotas allocated by the departments, and all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. It is NOT appropriate for students to contact the department directly to request additional spaces.

view the timetable and further details for this course