123046 PS Proseminar Literature / Literary Studies (2016S)

We live in what Richard Todd has aptly described as a “‘meet-the-author’ culture” that exploits the ‘star potential’ of literary brand names and has led to the familiar presence of the celebrity author at literary festivals, public readings, TV talk shows, literary prizes, and academic conferences. Ostensibly at odds with postmodernism’s often proclaimed ‘death of the author’, there is a growing preoccupation with the author as a cultural icon, object of commodification, and political and social commentator. The ongoing fascination with authorship can be traced back to the Romantic period, when the advent of mass-market print culture gave rise to literary celebrity culture and the cult of the author.

In this class, we will explore concepts and representations of celebrity authorship in literary texts across historical periods and genres. Specifically, we will pay attention to how these texts highlight the complex interplay of literary celebrity, class, gender, and politics; moreover, we will analyse the ways in which they reflect the tensions between the aesthetic and the commercial, artistic autonomy and the marketplace, authorial self-fashioning and media appropriation, art and action.

Participants will develop their practical skills in the critical analysis of literary texts and will be familiarised with some of the theoretical key concepts central to the study and interpretation of authorship and the cultural phenomenon of celebrity. In addition, participants will improve their oral presentation skills and will be introduced to the basic methods and techniques of academic research and writing.