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American Life Narratives: Forms and Functions

7.110114

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Jatin Wagle

Beschreibung

Put simply, life narratives concern translations of experiential memories into storytelling forms. However, they can also be viewed as self-referential narratives. In the American literary and cultural context, this rubric houses a crowd of dissimilar writings, from autobiographies and the narratives of the enslaved to memoirs and digital storytelling. This seminar in American Studies attempts to take up the question of narrativization of life experience in literature, by exploring modern and contemporary literature in the United States through the lens of life narratives. In the process, we would explore the anatomy of these diverse forms and examine their functions in their generative contexts.
In order to take and enjoy this class, you should be willing to read, analyze, and discuss historical and analytical texts, as well literary narratives.
We will be discussing the following primary texts intensively in our course:
Frederick Douglass, _Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass_ (1845)
Lucille Clifton, _Generations: A Memoir_ (1976)
Please procure these books and start reading them. Recommended editions: Frederick Douglass, _Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass_ [Norton Critical edition, 2016, ISBN: 9780393265446], Lucille Clifton, _Generations: A Memoir_ [New York Review Classics, 2021, ISBN: ‎ 9781681375878].
This course takes up literary/cultural texts that might be viewed as offensive and/or disturbing, especially because of their racially explicit vocabulary and imagery. This should not be seen as an attempt at normalizing racist epithets or attitudes, but on the contrary as an opportunity to appreciate and examine literary and cultural expression that tackles and critiques the murky realities of racism.
As part of your assigned work in this seminar, all the course participants would need to carefully prepare the reading(s) allotted for each of the sessions, develop points of discussion, and occasionally respond to the reading(s) via annotations on Google Docs.
Requirements for a grade (ANG-V-LK, or ANG-SI-Komp. 1 and 2; ANG-V1): All of the above and a research-based seminar paper.
Prerequisites for participation: ANG-B1/ANG-B-LK module

Weitere Angaben

Ort: 22/104
Zeiten: Mo. 10:00 - 12:00 (wöchentlich)
Erster Termin: Montag, 14.04.2025 10:00 - 12:00, Ort: 22/104
Veranstaltungsart: Seminar (Offizielle Lehrveranstaltungen)