ENG 158 - Freak Shows and the Modern American Imagination

Institution:

Long Island University-C W Post Campus

Subject:

Description:

The freak show was one of the most popular forms of entertainment in American culture between 1840 and 1940. Audiences clamored to see human exhibits featuring dog-faced boys, Siamese Twins, giants, dwarfs, hermaphrodites, and savage cannibals. Today, only remnants of these shows can be found in museums and state fairs, yet the freak show continues to have a powerful impact on contemporary literature and art. Why? How do these texts use freak shows and the freakish body to address social anxieties about difference? How do these images critique racial hierarchies and heterosexual norms in American culture? As spectators, what is our role in the othering of certain individuals and groups? Prerequisites of ENG 1 and ENG 2 are required.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.liu.edu

Phone Number:

(516) 299-2900

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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