ENGLISH 200-4 - Understanding Literature

Institution:

University of Massachusetts-Boston

Subject:

Description:

(formerly Literary Studies I) #5437 TT 9:30 SUTHERLAND DISTRIBUTION I: A DISTRIBUTION II: AR To understand literature will read it closely, perform it expressively, debate its relevance in today's fast-paced electronic age, explore the complex ways in which it works, and engage in a dialogue with scholars who study it. We will focus on four genres: fiction, drama, poetry, and a graphic novel. Among other questions, we will ask these: Why do we read literature in the first place What makes a text literary (as opposed to non-literary) and who gets to make that judgment What distinguishes poetry from prose Why have graphic novels often been disparaged What happens when we rewrite an author's words in our own words And how does performance change the "silent" words on the page To answer such questions we will learn to deploy useful terms and concepts from literary criticism so that we can understand literature in relation to our own insights and those of secondary sources. Ultimately, we will learn to articulate in precise and creative ways how exactly it is that we are entertained, pained, puzzled, inspired, instructed, or changed by what we read.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.umb.edu

Phone Number:

(617) 287-5000

Regional Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar System:

Semester

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