Syllabus ECOCRITICISM: ANIMALS AND NATURE IN LITERATURE - 44802 Last update 29-12-2013 HU Credits: 4 Degree/Cycle: 2nd degree (Master) Responsible Department: English Academic year: 1 Semester: 1st Semester Teaching Languages: English Campus: Mt. Scopus Course/Module Coordinator: Prof. Tzachi Zamir Coordinator Email: tzachi.zamir@mail.huji.ac.il Coordinator Office Hours: Monday, 12:15-13:15 Teaching Staff: Prof Tzachi Zamir page 1 / 5
Course/Module description: The human-animal divide is one of the pillars upon which subjectivity has evolved throughout human history. Ecocriticism is a recent literary-critical tradition, centrally concerned with episodes of instability which haunt this divide. Ecocritics also traces the implications of this instability for reflective human beings regarding their own sense of human distinctiveness. In the seminar, we shall explore the interface between ethics and aesthetics that underlies literary representations of animals and animal-related practices. We will discuss, comparatively, potent literary descriptions of particular animals (tigers, horses, insects, dogs, apes). We shall also mine literary works for their implicit or explicit assumptions regarding nature. Course/Module aims: To familiarize eco-criticism, both as a set of theoretical concerns, and as exemplified by numerous literary works. Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to: Analyze the central eco-critical themes that underlie the literary works that were studied during the course. Challenge the theoretical texts discussed in class by comparing them against theoretical texts that were not studied in class. Compare between distinct theoretical positions regarding eco-criticism. Apply the critical sensitivities that were exemplified in class, in relation to literary works that were not discussed in the course. Attendance requirements(%): 70 Teaching arrangement and method of instruction: lecture and discussion Course/Module Content: The list of topics and reading material below may change: 1. Introduction to the course: Constructing humanity through animals 2. Ethics, animals and literature: page 2 / 5
J.M. Coetzee, Elizabeth Costello, "The Philosophers and Animals" 3. Poetry and animals: a. * J. M. Coetzee, Elizabeth Costello, "The Poets and Animals" (please note that this chapter is not in the e-reserves). 4. Tigers: a. Rilke, "The Panther"( an electronic version is available via the library in The Best of Rilke, pp. 68-9). b. Ted Hughes, "Jaguar"; "A second Glance at a Jaguar", "Tiger Psalm" c. Adiga Aravind, from White Tiger d. Amitav Ghosh from The Hungry Tide 5. Zoos: a. From Marvin & Mulan, Zoo Culture b. Garnet: A Man in a Zoo (may be unavailable) c. Randy Malamud Reading Zoos 6. Animal fables: a. Tolstoy's short animal stories (available in Hebrew only) b. Aesop and La Fontaine, The Fox and the Grapes, The Fox and the Crow, The Ant and the Dove, The Lion and the Rat (for Aesop, an e-text, Aesop's Fables by Worthington is available via the library, p. 96; p. 172) 7. Winnie the Pooh: a. Winnie the Pooh * & The house at Pooh Corner * b. Woodbine Meadowlark (Crews, F.C.): "A la Recherche du Pooh Perdu" 8. Allegory: a. Jan Martel, Life of Pi 9. Slaughtering & Killing: a. Slaughtering turkeys: Tristan Egolf, Lord of the Barnyard b. Slaughtering cows: Ruth Ozeki My Year of Meats c. Euthanasia: J. M. Coetzee's Disgrace 10. Science and animals: a. Mary Shelly, Frankenstein b. Eileen Christ, Images of Animals c. Deborah Rudacille, The Scalpel and the Butterfly 11. Dogs (and also, Animals & language): a. Richard III, opening soliloquy* b. Virginia Woolf, Flush c. Jack London, White Fang page 3 / 5
12. Horses: a. Sonnets 50 & 51 by Shakespeare, and Sonnet 49 ("I on my Horse" by Sidney* (Norton Anthology) 13. Insects: a. Kafka, Metamorphosis* b. John Donne, "The Flea" (Norton Anthology) בופה אלסדרו,ויסקוביץ,חיה אתה,מתוך,"ויסקוביץ,הראש את מאבד אתה".c 14. Monsters: a. Shakespeare, Macbeth act I* & "The Rape of Lucrece"* b. Aeschylus, Eumenides* 15. Ecopoetics: a. Gerard, "Positions" from Ecocriticism 16. Natural/artificial/human: a. Gerard, "Pastoral" b. Shakespeare, The Winter's Tale, IV, iv * 17. Trees: a. T. Zamir, "Talking Trees", New Literary History, 2011, 42, 439-453.* (available via the library's e-journals) 18. Gardening: a. Milton's Paradise Lost book 4 & 9* (Norton Anthology) b. Barbara Lewalski, "Innocence and Experience in Milton's Eden" Final classes in the course will be devoted to reading the function of nature in Milton's Paradise Lost. Additional secondary sources may be provided at a later stage, according to the time that remains. Required Reading: see above Additional Reading Material: None page 4 / 5
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org) Course/Module evaluation: End of year written/oral examination 0 % Presentation 0 % Participation in Tutorials 0 % Project work 80 % Assignments 20 % Reports 0 % Research project 0 % Quizzes 0 % Other 0 % Additional information: Additional information will be given at the begining of the course. page 5 / 5