In this course, you will read and study a number of literary works that have become a part of World Literature. It may be works that have been read in places far away from the place of origin, works that have passed over cultural borders, or works that in themselves express such movement in time and place. The concept of World Literatures (we prefer the plural form) is highly ambiguous, and so, in this course, we don’t aim at introducing it under a specific definition, but will show how literary works receiving this label can belong to diverse categories. The works introduced in this course are all from Asia and Europe, and include works from Japan in the East to France in the West.

Teaching

The course has five seminars, which are offered online via Zoom in real-time. Each of them are dedicated to different cultural areas. You are expected to do preparatory readings before the seminars, in which you will discuss the texts with the other students and the teacher. Please check the course outline for the schedule:

Outline-AsiaEurope-Autumn_24.pdf

Examination

Consider all activities in the course as a part of the examination. Besides the active participation in the seminars, and the study questions and critical readings to be prepared before these, there is a final essay to be handed in at the end of the course. This essay should be a critical reflection around the concept of World Literature in relation to the different works and theoretical topics studied in the course. It should have a length of between 4000-4500 words.

Contact

If you have questions about this course, don't hesitate to contact the course coordinator, Herbert Jonsson (hjn@du.se).