In this course we will address two fundamental questions: what does it mean to read a work of literature critically, and could that process be pleasurable? To answer these questions we will read a variety of forms of literature considering how form and content play a crucial role in how we respond to these texts intellectually and emotionally. Central to our discussions will be the ways in which the aesthetic category of the sublime is seen as a particular and specific variety of aesthetic pleasure, both in the grandeur of language and thought within a text, as well as deriving pleasure from the feelings of terror and horror--a desire the movie industry has traded on rather successfully for nearly a century.

To this end we will read works by, but not limited to, William Shakespeare, Mary Shelley, Henry James, Joseph Conrad, and Seamus Deane. We will also be reading a short selection of critical works that explore (and challenge) the notions and definitions of “text,” “author,” and “reader,” in an effort to further our inquiry into the nature and critical practice of reading literature.

This class offers a "W" credit. This means that course participants will be expected to produce a total of 10-15 pages of formal, academic writing which has gone through a cycle of instructor feedback and revision. We will cover some formal academic writing technique in this class, but please keep in mind that this is not fundamentally a writing course. Though prior composition credits are not prerequisite, such experience will be to your distinct advantage.

Course Texts:

Hamlet, William Shakespeare (ISBN-10: 0393956636/ ISBN-13: 978-0393956634)
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley (ISBN-10: 0393964582/ISBN-13: 978-0393964585)
The Turn of the Screw, Henry James (ISBN-10: 039395904X /ISBN-13: 978-0393959048)
Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad (ISBN-10: 0393926362 / ISBN-13: 978-0393926361)
Reading in the Dark, Seamus Deane (ISBN-10: 0375700234ISBN-13: 978-0375700231)
*Additional readings will be available via course packet or through library e-reserves