LIT 5327 Spring 2018 McGregory

Any number of approaches to African Diaspora fiction can be identified. In this course the focus is on the supernatural as it manifests in various literary forms. I use the word "supernatural" expansively to include not only the usual indications of phenomena beyond the natural world and the scope of human action, but conjuration, "speculative fiction," "magical realism," and manipulations of time and historical periods that create an "unnatural, realistic" text.

This class will explore belief systems that traditionally have informed the spirituality of many people of African descent. The course privileges an experience-centered analysis of belief systems as they inform writings within the African Diaspora. The objective is to develop a high context for some core beliefs that operate as a recursive strategy in literature by authors such as Octavia Butler, Gloria Naylor, August Wilson, and Nalo Hopkinson.