Transforming Identities in Literature

This course is designed to develop techniques for reading and writing about literary works through the lens of our chosen theme: the transformation of identities (in terms of race, class, gender, etc.) in literary works. We will read a range of plays, poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction across temporal and natural boundaries, exploring the different critical methods and interpretive tools available to us. Both the thematic and skill-building arcs of the course will culminate in a reading of Toni Morrison’s novel The Song of Solomon in the context of several different--and sometimes contradictory--critical and theoretical approaches. Other readings will include Shakespeare’s Othello, Hwang’s M. Butterfly, essays by Virginia Woolf, Zadie Smith, and Emily Bernard, and short stories by Octavia Butler.”