LIT 2120: Survey of World Literature, 17th Century to Modern | "The Marvelous and Fantastic"
University of Florida
Semester: Fall 2017
Section: 03A6 Class Meetings: MWF Period 8 For as long as people have told tales of magic, mystery, and the supernatural, they have blurred the line between fantasy and reality. The marvelous, fantastic, and uncanny each toy with that line, while genres like magical realism and urban fantasy have become, and remain, pre-eminently popular. But how do we account for the centuries-old popularity of the fantastic? The marvelous? The uncanny? The Gothic? Why have we always been drawn to the Gods and monsters of Shakespeare, of myth, of fairy tales? Why do we remain in thrall to Faustian bargains and ghost stories?
This course will interrogate these questions by examining the philosophical, theological, social, and political undercurrents that has drawn magic and “unreality” into and out of the lives and stories of people from all around the world. From the witchcraft of Shakespeare to Victorian horrors, from mid-century magical realism to present-day urban fantasy, our journey into the fantastic will take us to every corner of the map: Revolutionary-era France and Soviet Russia, where the devil comes out to dance; kaidan-haunted Japan, the Gothic American South, and war-torn Spain where the ghosts of the wronged seek revenge; Latin America and India where magic is baked into the very bricks of the streets; Nigeria, where the spirits of children torment the living and Ghana where Anansi the spider-god weaves his web; and, of course, the United Kingdom, where an evening stroll might put you face-to-face with witches, ghosts, and fae folk. This course will examine the prevalence and cultural work of the marvelous and fantastic in world literature and how/why so many writers and film makers have chosen the strange, “unreal,” and supernatural as an outlet for expressions of political anxiety, wonder, pleasure, existentialism, horror, cathartic revenge, and much more. By the end of this course, students will arrive at a better understanding and appreciation of the social functions of fantasy and magic in fiction by engaging with texts from around the world. |
INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION:
Office Location: Turlington 4367 Office Hours: Wednesday Periods 6 & 7 or by appointment Email: [email protected] TEXTBOOKS:
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