Literature from Around the World
C LIT 101 A1 | World Literature I
For syllabus and reading list, and infographic (dos and don’ts while online) please contact tokabe@ualberta.ca
Get ready to tour the world of literature! In this course, we will be “traveling” around the globe, crossing various cultural, national, and linguistic boundaries as we explore myths, epics, poems, and novels (in translation) from North America; to Europe; to Africa; to China, and Japan! With a focus on topics of heroism and storytelling across cultures, we will examine major works of the world's literary heritage, presented in their historical, social, and cultural contexts, and in relation to the question of “what constitutes world literature?” The assigned readings cover the period from the beginnings of literary civilizations until the 17th century, but we will also look at some contemporary adaptations of these literary classics. Come to class excited to gain a deeper understanding of literary traditions, forms, and genres in western and non-Western (con)texts and methods of analyzing them through a comparative lens!