Desire and Despair: Early 20th Cent. English
Course Description
Summary
This new class focuses on tortured love in two early twentieth century English novels: Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence, published in 1920, and EM Forster’s Maurice, penned in 1913-4.
While the former was celebrated at the time—it won the 1921 Pulitzer—the latter was only published posthumously, in 1971, due to self-censorship on account of its gay love story. Both books are about tortured romances.
The class will be divided into two units each of which considers the book and its film adaptation as well as related scholarship, and in particular, queer theory. The Age of Innocence will offer an opportunity to analyze gender and its intersections with race and class, thinking about the links between whiteness and normative femininity, among other issues. Maurice will allow us to delve into sexuality in queer theory—indeed, troubling the very word “gay” and certainly the genre of the “gay love story.”
We will consider issues of medium, learn some literary theory, and hone our spoken and written literary analysis.
Budget permitting, we may visit Wharton's home, The Mount, as a field trip.
Learning Outcomes
- - Learn some queer theory
- - Learn to close read a literary work or film
- - Learn how to analyze political structures like gender, race, class and sexuality
- - Hone critical thinking skills
- - Learn how to sharpen and organize an argument
- - Learn to write clearly and concisely
Prerequisites
BENNINGTON STUDENT APPLICATIONS
In addition to submitting through the usual channels please email mariamrahmani@bennington.edu with a single PDF containing 1) 200-300 word response to the below. Use the following specifications for the PDF and email:
File name: Instructor last name_Course title key word_Student last name, e.g. Rahmani_Despair_Williams
Subject line: Application Desire and Despair
Paragraph one: Describe your interest in this subject matter, whether the novels, films, or queer theory.
Paragraph two: How will this course contribute to your future and current studies? This may include supporting your Plan or may be about other intellectual goals not captured by the Plan.
In list form: Cite 2 courses you have taken that best prepare you for this class, whether inside or outside Literature.
*No Google Doc or Drive links.
*Note that you must including EXACTLY the above subject line as these applications are automatically filtered.
Please contact the faculty member : mariamrahmani@bennington.edu