Overview:
War is a consistent
part of human behavior, and as such it is a consistent part of
literature. Writers respond to war from a variety of stances –
prowar, antiwar; as a participant or as a witness – and through a
range of genres. In every case, writers pay different sorts of
attention to the idea or experience of trauma. This course will
explore how certain writers use fantasy to a) represent their
experience of warfare, b) establish distinctions between personal,
psychological, cultural, and national injuries, and c) comment
critically on warfare and violence. In turn, we will practice
identifying our relationship(s) with geopolitical conflict by writing
through several fantastical story forms.
The set of primary
texts chosen to read for this course covers a broad definition of
fantasy, including high fantasy. science fiction, spy fiction, and
magical realism. Without getting lost in the breadth of the
fantastical, we will also examine how fantasy operates across
literary forms such as novels, short stories, graphical novels, and
poetry. As we make connections between texts, we will revisit the
following questions: what is genre? how does genre affect the
representation of trauma? what’s it like to adapt a traumatic story
from one genre to the next? These investigations will be supported
by critical reading on genre theory, trauma and traumatic
experiences, and the nature of violence in literary representation.
Finally, this class
will complement the required reading with required creative writing.
We will identify techniques the authors use to craft the fantastical
elements of each text, and then practice using those techniques.
Expect to focus on producing many short pieces of writing, from which
you will choose 2-3 pieces to revise as part of a final portfolio.
We will also practice how to summarize texts, and how to write
critically about our own writing.
Learning objectives:
By the end of the
class, you should be able to critically discuss why an author would
choose to address war, violence, and trauma through fantasy
generally, and within specific genres of fantasy and specific
literary forms. You should also be able to articulate the writerly
resources you have as a writer as you address similar topics through
your creative writing. Finally, you should demonstrate that you can revise your creative writing based on critical feedback while you provide productive feedback to your fellow writers.
Assignments:
– Weekly writing
assignments (2-3 pages each)
– A short midterm
paper (4-5 pages)
– A final portfolio
of your revised creative writing, along with a critical introduction
(10-12 pages)
Texts (subject to
revision):
J. R. R. Tolkein,
The Hobbit
T.
H. White, The Once and Future King
Edwin
Morgan, assorted poems
Ian
Fleming, Casino Royale
Kurt
Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse Five
John
Le Carre, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Seamus
Heaney, assorted poems including ‘Station Island’
Isabelle
Allende, The House of the Spirits
Additional
texts, including short stories, poetry, and critical texts, will be
provided as PDFs.