FALL 2007 HONORS COURSES

HONR 238T The Body and Literature
Tuesday/Thursday 11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Dr. Sibbie O'Sullivan, Senior Lecturer in University Honors

In this course we will examine how the body is represented in literature and culture both as an object of desire and as a source of knowledge. We will divide this examination into five sections: Death and Aging; The Body of the Child; The Sexual Body; The Body of the Other, or the Grotesque Body; and the Parahuman Body. Before we begin our analysis of the primary texts, we will discuss general aspects of body history, including dominant metaphors and narratives of the body in Western thought; the medical establishment of the female body as "other"; the evolution of privacy and its impact on attitudes toward the body; and the impact of photography on the body.

Our analysis of the primary texts will focus on how a particular text illustrates a certain body theme. For instance, what does the movie Cocoon tell us about early and late twentieth century attitudes toward aging and dying?

This course is discussion driven. Students are expected to engage the professor and each other. You will be graded on participation.

Readings include:
The Vagina Monologues; Immediate Family; The Father; The Elephant Man; Cocoon; The Death of Ivan Illych; selected readings in Xerox packet.

CORE: Literature (HL)