Peqod :: Classes - Columbia University Catalog of Classes

The seventeenth century was a century of revolution, giving birth to modern ways of thinking, and calling into question many of the old ways. In the early years, many were affected by melancholy, some believing the world was approaching the endtimes. England experienced plagues, particularly in London, and other catastrophes. So we might find some affinity with our own current situation, facing new challenges, our world turned upside down, which is what many people felt during that time. Out of all of this turmoil, however, came great literature including lyric poems by John Donne and others exploring love and desire, doubt and faith, sex and God. Donne also wrote a series of
Devotions
grappling with mortality over a course of 23 days when he was suffering from typhus or relapsing fever and almost died. Others turned to find solace in the natural world and friendship (Amelia Lanyer, Katherine Philips, Henry Vaughan). Robert Burton wrote a book on melancholy, which he kept adding to. Francis Bacon thought a revolution in science could redeem the world. Thomas Browne, a physician as well as writer, tackled the problem of intolerance and religious conflict. Thomas Hobbes thought only a firm (authoritarian?) government could reestablish peace and security, while Gerard Winstanley (a “Leveller”) thought that owning land (and money) was the source of all war and misery. Transgressive women had their own ideas. The Quaker leader Margaret Fell defended women's right to preach. We will read selections from these and other writers, understanding them in their historical context and with a sense of their current resonance.The seventeenth century was a century of revolution, giving birth to modern ways of thinking, and calling into question many of the old ways. In the early years, many were affected by melancholy, some believing the world was approaching the endtimes. England experienced plagues, particularly in London, and other catastrophes. So we might find some affinity with our own current situation, facing new challenges, our world turned upside down, which is what many people felt during that time. Out of all of this turmoil, however, came great literature including lyric poems by John Donne and others exploring love and desire, doubt and faith, sex and God. Donne also wrote a series of
Devotions
grappling with mortality over a course of 23 days when he was suffering from typhus or relapsing fever and almost died. Others turned to find solace in the natura

TR 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
Instructor: Achsah Guibbory
CULPA: 17 Info
3 points

Details

ENGL BC3166

RENAISSANCE DRAMA:1580-1642

MW 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
Instructor: Peter Platt
CULPA: 23 Info
3 points

Details

ENGL BC3169

LITERATURE AND PSYCHOANALYSIS

TR 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
Instructor: Nathan Gorelick
Info
3 points

Details

ENGL BC3171

VICTORIAN AGE IN LITERATURE

THE VICTORIAN NOVEL

TR 11:40 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
Instructor: Jayne Hildebrand
CULPA: 3 Info
3 points

Details

ENGL BC3177

AMERICAN LITERATURE 1800-1870

TR 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
Instructor: Lisa Gordis
CULPA: 15 Info
3 points

Details

ENGL BC3180

MODRN BRITISH & AMERCAN POETRY

MODERN BRIT&AM POETRY

TR 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
Instructor: William C Sharpe
CULPA: 12 h-index: 11 Info
3 points

Details

ENGL BC3185

POSTMODERNISM

MW 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
Instructor: Kristi-Lynn Cassaro
Info
3 points

Details

ENGL BC3189

CRITICAL WRITING

T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
W 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
Instructor: Kristi-Lynn Cassaro
Info
Instructor: Rachel Eisendrath
CULPA: 6 Info
Instructor: Lisa Gordis
CULPA: 15 Info
Instructor: John J Pagano
CULPA: 27 Info
4 points

Details

ENGL BC3193

LITERARY THEORY

R 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
Instructor: Ross T Hamilton
CULPA: 25 Info
4 points

Details

ENGL BC3194

WORLD LITERATURE REVISITED II

(Please note that you do
not
need to take ENGL BC3204 World Literature Revisited I and ENGL BC3205 World Literature Revisited II in sequence; you may take them in any order.)

As a discipline, World Literature dates back to the early 19th century and Goethe’s concept of
weltliteratur
. Yet, despite the fact that Goethe was well-versed in the literature of the “Orient” and he emphasized their centrality in
weltliteratur
, the languages that he spoke of and underlined within the formation of this literature were mostly German and Romance languages. Institutionally speaking, not much has changed over the past couple of centuries. More often than not, studying the literature of locations such as the Middle East, Africa, or East Asia takes place in Area Studies departments, and offerings of these areas’ literatures in Comparative Literature departments are few and far in between.

In World Literature Revisited I, we imagined what a survey of World Literature in a literary studies department could look like, as we dealt with ancient texts until around the 14th century, with a focus on origin stories and epic narratives, lyric poetry, historical narratives, and sacred/religious texts. In World Literature Revisited II, we will continue to investigate and challenge the categories of “Eastern” and “Western” literature and think through the categories of “world” and “literature” in the course title. In this part of the course, we will work on (classical, early modern, and modern) drama, modern poetry, and the novel, with a particular focus on reading in comparison adaptations, appropriations, and literary responses.

What/where/whom constitutes the world in World Literature? How can we read and trace literary influence across these literatures without reducing them to a mere repetition of the same themes and ideas? Finally, we will think about the role that translation plays in the production and politics of World Literature, particularly when it comes to adaptations and appropriations, and how the issue of translation differentiates between the disciplines of Comparative Literature and World Literature.