Sexing the Canon

Human sexuality has been the topic of scientific and artistic explorations for centuries. Regulatory norms of individual cultures enable or deny the expression of specific forms of sexuality in life and literature. As Foucault states: "What is at issue, briefly, is the over-all 'discursive fact,' the way in which sex is 'put into discourse.' In this course we will explore and compare the ways theories of sexuality from different times and places inform and determine our readings of literature. Theoretical texts form the basis for discussions of the works of authors such as Plato, Boccaccio, Choderlos de Laclos, Stifter, Henry James, Woolf, Genet, James Baldwin, Wittig, Thomas Mann, and Santos-Febres. 3 hrs. sem.