Grand Hotels and Empty Fields: Inventing Central Europe through Culture.

Catalog description

This course explores fictional inventions of Central European countries, from the mist-shrouded mountains of Wes Anderson's Zubrowka to the rigorously researched Orsinia conceived by fantasy & science fiction author Ursula K. Le Guin. We will critically reflect on the construction of national and regional identity and on fiction's role in this process. The course is an introduction to concepts from postcolonial theory and critical area studies. Readings and discussions in English; films with English subtitles.