230571 Playing with Perspectives in Drama, Prose and Film (S) (WiSe 2008/2009)

All seeing, thinking, and speaking takes place from a particular point of view. Perspective is thus not only relevant in philosophy, film, and the visual arts, but also an essential aspect of literature. In this class, we are going to look into the various ways in which artists play with perspectives. Framed by detours into philosophy, art, and film, this course will focus on the thematic and stylistic use of perspectives in different literary genres. We will try to uncover the implications of perspectives for understanding and interpreting literature and film. Focusing on a selection of texts spanning the sixteenth to the twenty-first century, we will discuss how comedy, suspense, ideology, racism, etc. often draw essentially on the manipulation of perspectives.

A small reader with short primary and secondary texts will be made available at the beginning of term. In addition, it is recommended that you buy the following texts new or second hand:

William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night (1623) (Arden oder New Cambridge Edition!)
Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886)
Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness (1902)
Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (2003)

(All books are also available in the uni library)