ENG 5933 Spring 2020 Maurette

This course will center on the relationship between literature, theory, and science by focusing on the figure of the monster. The human imagination is capable of producing the most outlandish and distorted forms: we will call this the monstrous. Throughout history, the monstrous has been the terrifying representation of a space where curiosity, love, fear, and disgust come together to haunt human beings. More importantly, the monstrous often sparks debates on identity, difference, providence, the laws of nature, gender, and race. But, also, science and philosophy have to deal with the deformed, the organically distorted, the preternatural: we will call this monstrosity. Scientific and philosophical discussions on monstrosity ultimately deal with issues pertaining the order of nature, genetics, and theology. As we will see, science and philosophy often struggle alongside literature to understand deformity and monstrosity. In the 20th and 21st centuries, film also becomes a meaningful stage for a dialogue between nature and human imagination. Throughout this semester we will see how they influence one another as they establish fascinating dialogues. The course will have a particular focus on early modern transatlantic topics, but will not be restricted to that period. In order to understand contemporary ideas and literary representations of monstrosity and the monstrous we will go on a journey that will take us from antiquity to the 21st century and that will include ancient history and literature, Medieval bestiaries, Renaissance scientific treatises and theater plays, twentieth-century novel, evolutionary biology, theory, philosophy, and film. All reading will be done in English translation, although any student wishing to read in the original language(s) is welcome and encouraged. Some of the authors we will read are Aristotle, Pliny, St. Augustine, Shakespeare, Montaigne, Paré, Canguilhem, Foucault, Lessing, and more. We will be watching films by Cocteau, Herzog, Kent, Romero, and more.