Animal Encounters in Literature

Animals have haunted literary texts ever since Aesop’s fables. What different roles do they play? In this seminar we will explore the complexity of representing animals in literature by studying novels and short stories that imagine wildlife, revisit the myth of animal metamporphosis, or use animals as symbols for other purposes. We will discuss what specific social, political, and linguistic issues these literary texts address and in some cases, how they complicate our understanding of the human/animal divide. Texts include: Balzac, Passion in the Desert, Kafka, The Metamorphosis, and Darrieussecq’s dystopian novel Pig Tales. 3 hrs. sem.