Histories

Catalog description

Historical figures like Herodotus, Hannibal, Billy the Kid and Calamity Jane have all served as energy nodes around which writers have built significant works of prose. In this seminar we will examine texts like Michael Ondaatje's Coming Through Slaughter, Toni Morrison’s Beloved and W.G. Sebald's The Emigrants as part of an exploration of that prose which, if we can kick awake that poor overworked pearl, posits the historical as its grain of sand. Students can expect a substantial weekly reading load of primary and secondary source material and should come to each class prepared to discuss the assigned texts.