Animals in Literature and Culture
Course
Description:
In the past ten years, scholars across various
disciplines have become increasingly interested in what has been termed “the
question of the animal,” and are taking seriously the animals around us,
questioning not only the human-animal divide, but also the status of animals
more broadly. This field of “animal studies” interrogates understandings of
animal consciousness and animals as ethical subjects, while also studying animals
within culture and society. This class will thus examine representations of
animals within literature, poetry, film, paintings, and other cultural
formations from the eighteenth century to our own contemporary moment, in an
effort to interrogate what it means to be an animal, and what it means to
relate with animals. We will address issues of pet keeping, the animal point of
view, animality, human-animal differences, animal rights, meat eating, and
zoos, in order to understand the many ways animals exist in our society and
cultural imaginary. As we trace
these themes, we will interrogate how animals collide with other cultural and
social issues, such as race, gender, and colonialism. Along with novels, short
stories, and poetry, we will read contemporary philosophical work on animal
studies in order to enhance our analytical frameworks.
Requirements:
3 Close readings: 20%
3 film responses: 15%
Midterm Essay: 25%
Final Essay: 30%
Participation and Quizzes: 10%
Required
Texts:
Karen Joy Fowler, We
Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
Barbara Gowdy, The
White Bone
Virginia Woolf, Flush
Linda Hogan, Power
Alice Walker, The
Chicken Chronicles
Course Pack
Films
to be Screened in Class:
David Lynch, The
Elephant Man
Werner Herzog, Grizzly
Man
Cindy Meehl, Buck