Universität Wien

127012 KO Critical Readings in Literature (2024W)

Penelope Unbound: Rewritings from Monteverdi to Madeleine Miller

6.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 12 - Anglistik
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle
Fr 18.10. 14:15-15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21

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Details

max. 30 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

No session on 22.11.!

  • Friday 11.10. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Friday 25.10. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Friday 08.11. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Friday 15.11. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Friday 22.11. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Friday 29.11. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Friday 06.12. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Friday 13.12. 14:15 - 15:45 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Friday 10.01. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Friday 17.01. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Friday 24.01. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Friday 31.01. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

In Homer's Odyssey, Penelope is cast as the ever-waiting, faithful wife of the eponymous hero, the epitome of patience and virtue. Modern and contemporary reimaginings of this figure - most notably, James Joyce's Ulysses (1922), Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad (2005) or, still more recently, Madeline Miller's Circe (2018) - often paint her in a more active and resistant light, providing her with more agency and feminist energy, as a character that challenges the patriarchal world order.
In this course, we will look at retellings and representations of Penelope (as well as the broader context of the Odyssey and other characters within it) across different media and art forms, including literature, visual art, and opera. As part of the course, we will attend either a rehearsal or a performance of Monteverdi's at the Vienna State Opera: https://kalender.wiener-staatsoper.at/kalender/detail/il-ritorno-dulisse-in-patria/ and the course will feature a roundtable/guest lecture by members of the production.

We will discuss and revise a range of analytical tools and theoretical approaches, giving students the chance to develop their analytical and academic writing skills further and providing them with basic theoretical tools for the critical analysis and interpretation of literary texts.

Assessment and permitted materials

- regular attendance and participation in discussions and group work, small tasks (you may miss a maximum of two classes without a doctor's notice/official documentation): 30p
- acting as one of the experts for one session (selecting quotations and discussion questions, leading discussion in small groups, presenting results): 20p
- portfolio (consisting of 4 tasks: close reading, critical review, blog post, creative task): 50p

The course requirements will be discussed in detail during the first session.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Students must fulfill and pass each of the 3 course requirements (portfolio, regular attendance and participation, acting as expert) and score at least 60 points altogether in order to pass this course.

Grading scale:
1: 100-90 points
2: 89-80 points
3: 79-70 points
4: 69-60 points
5: 59-0 points

The course requirements will be discussed in detail during the first session.

Examination topics

This is an interactive course with continuous assessment ("prüfungsimmanente Lehrveranstaltung"). In addition to handing in a written portfolio, participants are expected to read all set texts and actively participate in class throughout the semester as well as hand in tasks and assignments on time.

There will be no written exam.

Reading list

Required Reading (in full):
* Homer, "Odysseus Returns Home" (trans. Robert Eagle, ISBN: 9780141026299)
* Carol Ann Duffy, "Penelope" (poem, from The World's Wife
* Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad (2005)
* Marina Carr, The Mai (2003)
* Enda Walsh, Penelope (2010)
* Madeleine Miller, Circe (2018)

Links to excerpts from other literary texts (James Joyce, Ulysses; Nikos Kazantzakism, The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel) as well as theoretical and secondary literature (Barbara Goff, Ken Dowden and Niall Livingstone, María del Mar González Chacón) will be provided on Moodle.

Association in the course directory

Studium: BA 612; BEd 046/407
Code/Modul: BA08.3; BEd Modul 10
Lehrinhalt: 12-3000

Last modified: Fr 11.10.2024 00:02