Literary Places

In this seminar we will explore representations of place in essays, short stories, and novels. Among the questions we will consider are how does one define a "place"? Is there such a thing, as a "non-place"? How and why does one develop and demonstrate loyalty to a particular place or region? How does place help to define self? We will address such questions in the context of The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy Boston, essays by Wendell Berry, and novels by Oscar Wilde and Alain Robbe-Grillet. The seminar will conclude with a section on walking (place in motion), with a look at Cheryl Strayed's Wild and Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild. Students will discuss writing and develop skills of oral and written literary analysis.