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”In modern literary theory, few concepts have proved more problematic and unstable than that of genre,” writes David Duff in his introduction to Modern Genre Theory (2000). Indeed, the concept of genre is both undeniably significant in the study of narrative and highly contested, not only in terms of its perceived prescriptiveness, but also in its connections to Eurocentric, androcentric, and heteronormative discourses and epistemological traditions. Yet genres also have the potential to be extremely dynamic entities, and their very ties to homogenizing versions of literary history render them powerful instruments of subversion and re-vision. In this class, we will concern ourselves with literary works written by authors of diverse backgrounds that engage genre as a constitutive element of their transcultural and/or anti-(hetero)patriarchal vision. In doing so, we will read examples of Gothic fiction, classicist fiction, fantasy, and memoir by writers such as Jewelle Gomez, Ursula K. Le Guin, Daniel Heath Justice, and Ernestine Hayes. We will consider how these authors adapt each respective generic framework to their needs and what meanings emerge when the categories of genre and diversity intersect in works of literature.
Please purchase and read the following books:
Ernestine Hayes, The Tao of Raven: An Alaska Native Memoir. University of Washington Press, 2019. ISBN 978-0295745725
Le Guin, Ursula. Lavinia. W&N, 2010. ISBN 978-0753827840
Further readings will be made available via MS Teams. |
