True Lies: Espionage in Film and Fiction

We will study the depiction of fictional spies in literature (Ian Fleming’s Bond novels), film (The Bourne Identity), television shows (Alias, Homeland), and parodies (Burn After Reading) in an attempt to address the following questions: Why have narratives about spies and spying been so commercially successful since the mid-19th century? How has the genre changed to reflect the development of new technologies and major historical events (WWII, the Cold War, and the War on Terror)? How do ideas of gender and nationalism affect the depiction of the extraction of information in controversial ways, e.g., bribery, seduction, torture, and hacking? 3 hrs. sem.