Monsters in our Midst: The Plantation and the Woods in Trans-American Literature

Catalog description

In this course, we engage literary and film representations about how land is imagined in relation to colonial and nationalist enterprises. “Land” here encompasses conversations around the environment, nature, productive versus “wasteful” uses of rural space, sites of black and indigenous marronage, and beyond. Geographically, we focus on the Caribbean, parts of the U.S., and Latin America. Fictional readings may include works by Michelle Cliff, Maryse Condé, William Faulkner, and. We may watch films such as Pet Semetary, Daughters of the Dust, and Bacurau. We also engage recent works of scholarship about race, the environment, and colonialism.