Stories as Archives: American Literary Fiction as Documentation

7.110114

Dozenten

Beschreibung

In Valeria Luiselli’s _Lost Children Archive_ (2019), the narrator states, “…the story I need to tell is the one of the children who are missing, those whose voices can no longer be heard because they are, possibly forever, lost” (42). In order to document such “lost” experiences that cannot be accessed via established archives, she turns to narrative fiction to piece together an alternative, and perhaps an impossible, archive of migrant experiences. But, how can fictional narratives function as documents, records and archives? How do literary narratives and their readers negotiate the boundaries between facticity and fiction? We will try and address these and cognate questions in this seminar in American Studies, by taking up modern and contemporary literary fiction from the United States.
In order to take and enjoy this class, you should be willing to read, analyze, and discuss historical and analytical texts, as well as texts of narrative fiction.
Apart from other mandatory readings, we will take up the following texts as primary readings:
Valeria Luiselli, _Lost Children Archive_ (2019) [‎ Fourth Estate, 2020, ISBN: 9780525436461]
Lucille Clifton, _Generations: A Memoir_ (1976) [New York Review Classics, 2021, ISBN: ‎ 9781681375878]
Please procure a copy in advance and start reading this book, if you wish to participate in this seminar.
This course takes up texts that might be viewed as offensive and/or disturbing, especially because of their racially and/or ethnically explicit vocabulary and imagery. This should not be seen as an attempt at normalizing racist epithets or attitudes, but on the contrary as an opportunity to appreciate and examine literary and cultural expression that tackles and critiques the murky realities of racism.
As part of your assigned work in this seminar, all the course participants would need to carefully prepare the reading(s) allotted for a session, develop points of discussion, and occasionally respond to the reading(s) via annotations on Google Docs. Our weekly, in-person meetings will be assisted by expert groups/session presenters.
Please check the course webpages on Stud.IP regularly for updates, announcements, and changes.

Weitere Angaben

Ort: 41/E07
Zeiten: Mo. 14:00 - 16:00 (wöchentlich)
Erster Termin: Montag, 28.10.2024 14:00 - 16:00, Ort: 41/E07
Veranstaltungsart: Seminar (Offizielle Lehrveranstaltungen)

Studienbereiche

• Interdisziplinäre Studiengänge > Literatur und Kultur in Europa > Modul 1: Literatur- und Kulturwissenschaft in Europa: Theorien, Modelle, Konzepte
• Interdisziplinäre Studiengänge > Literatur und Kultur in Europa > Modul 2: Nationale Literatur und Kultur A
• Interdisziplinäre Studiengänge > Literatur und Kultur in Europa > Modul 6: Spezialisierung und Professionalisierung
• Anglistik; Englisch > Kulturwissenschaft > Bachelor
• Anglistik; Englisch > Literaturwissenschaft > Bachelor