Love and Literature
In this course, we will take a literary journey through different genres, historical periods, and forms, to consider some of the ways that love has been depicted in literature. Along the way, we will work to identify central themes and questions that emerge around the subject of love in the different works.
We will spend time discussing questions such as: how do we define love? What makes the subject of love such a common literary preoccupation for writers? What can we observe when it comes to genre and this subject? How do authors write about love differently (or similarly) to one another depending on their historical period? How is love connected to faith? How is love connected to concepts of mortality or immortality? As we consider questions that pertain not only to literature, but also to everyday life, we will be working to develop skills in critical and analytical reading, writing, and the study of literature.
This course will be taught in-person (F2F) format.
*Tentative Text List
Plato, The Symposium
Marie de France, Lais
Shakespeare, Antony & Cleopatra
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Sonnets from the Portuguese
Selections from:
Raymond Carver, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love
Martin Hägglund, This Life: Secular Faith and Spiritual Freedom
bell hooks, All About Love: New Visions