127011 KO Critical Readings in Literature (2023W)

In this course we will undertake an exemplary survey of British narrative fiction that deals with questions of human-animal relations, animality vs. humanity, and the representation of nonhuman consciousness. Our syllabus is bookended by an obscure early modern prose satire and a contemporary experimental novel. In between those, we’ll be covering some canonical texts and some less well-known ones (see reading list).

Various narratological tools and concepts will enable us to make sense of our primary texts. Participants are encouraged to revise their notes from the literary theory lectures in preparation of this course (see also chapter 5 of Vera und Ansgar Nünning’s Introduction to the Study of English and American Literature). Based on formal analysis, we will be able to able to locate our texts within their cultural and historical context, focusing on questions of human-animal relations, how they have changed, and how they have stayed the same. In these interpretations we will draw on seminal texts from human-animal studies.

Students must own and use hard copies of primary texts, except for those made available in the course reader, which also contains essential secondary reading. The required editions of primary works and the course reader will be available at FACULTAS am Campus. Additional resources will be made available on Moodle.