Animal narratives

Teacher(s)

De Bruyn Ben;

Language

English

Main themes

The course coordinator selects a particular genre of Anglophone literature. A detailed comparison of different genres is also possible.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1.	At the end of this course, the student: will be capable of properly analyzing texts of a particular genre in Anglophone literature; will have enriched his/her skills in English language and vocabulary. The analysis produced by the student should reflect his/her knowledge of the different cultural concepts introduced in the course as well as his/her proficiency in English at the level expected of an MA student.

Content

Charles Darwin is a towering figure in the history of modern science. He revolutionized our view of life and biology and famously disclosed the intimate ties between humans and other animals. But he also drew on English literature, published celebrated texts himself, and shaped the ways in which poets, novelists, and other writers were to imagine life, history, and narrative as well as human and animal characters. These biological insights and literary developments continue to shape contemporary animal narratives in a broad range of genres. This course will explore the cultural legacy of Darwin’s work in dialogue with (excerpts from) poems, movies, and graphic novels. In addition, we will take a closer look at three novels from different periods (by Emily Brontë, H.G. Wells, and Barbara Kingsolver) to examine the impact of evolutionary thinking on the novel as a genre. To understand the cultural representation of pets, farm animals, and endangered wildlife, the course also introduces useful methodological tools from ecocriticism, bionarratology, and animal studies.

Evaluation methods

January: class participation (10%), mid-term paper (30%), final paper (60%)
September: exam paper

Faculty or entity

ELAL