230586 "Do the Americas Have a Common Literature?": Comparative Perspectives of Literature in the Americas (S) (SoSe 2009)

This course is an introduction to the vast literatures of the Americas. We will deal with a sampling of texts ranging from the pre-Colombian to the contemporary times written in Spanish, Portuguese, French, English, and Amerindian language traditions. We will explore, contextualize, and, most importantly, examine in comparative framework some of the major literary and cultural traditions from the Caribbean, South, Central, and North America.

By reading a variety of genres - which include historical accounts, letters, essays, testimonials, slave narratives, short stories, and novels- we will compare the fictions and histories of conquest, nationalism, slavery, diaspora, immigration, and imperialism. Each of our readings attempts to define “American” cultural identity during a period of social conflict and crisis.

We will not only address de Crèvecoeur’s question: “What is an American?” but also attempt to answer the questions: How is this cultural identity created? Who is included? Who is excluded? How have writers from different parts of the Americas engaged each other’s work in order to imagine cultural formations that challenge the limitations or isolation of a national or local culture? Finally, in this class, we will ask Gustavo Pérez Firmat’s question: “Do the Americas have a common literature?” in order to test our comparative method. A reader will be available at the beginning of the course.

A course reserve is also available for students.