WLIT 319 - Inspiration: The Topic of Creativity in Art and Literature--Ancient to Medieval

Institution:

Case Western Reserve University

Subject:

Description:

Inspiration is an inextricably essential part of the aesthetic genesis, and it has instantly become one of the most frequented themes of artistic creation. Where does inspiration come from? Are artists "chosen ones" that implicitly stand out from the "non-inspired" rest? Trying to answer these questions and others related to the phenomenon of creativity, one direction that this course should take and focus on is the theme of "divine" or "transcendent" as a source of inspiration in art and literature. The course will start with the mystical teaching and theories of Pythagoras that influenced Plato and the Neo-Platoists that will be carried on further in the general tradition of Christian literature. In this respect, the course will examine creativity in readings that include both Ancient and Medieval writers whose writings place the subject of inspiration at the center of their own aesthetic invention. Among the authors included in the course will be Pseudo-Dyonisius, Gregory Palamas, Jacopone da Todi, Caterina da Siena, Dante, Petrarch, and Meister Eckhart. Offered as: CLSC 317 and WLIT 319.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.case.edu

Phone Number:

(216) 368-2000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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