After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, New York has often been represented as a city in shock which exhibits a wounded and traumatized topography. Exploring the ways in which novels by recent American writers such as Jonathan Safran Foer, Jay McInerney, and Joseph O’Neill have reflected on these traumatic events, we will analyze how their texts have re-imagined life in the aftermath of 9/11. Drawing on theories of trauma and memory, we will study the visual and intermedial literary strategies these writers have used to write about New York City. We will also look at some films, focusing on the challenges of representing traumatic history. Throughout this class, we will explore both the ways in which literature and film have attempted to convey 9/11 as well as how 9/11 has changed the face of American literature.
Required Texts (please buy):
Jonathan Safran Foer. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: A Novel (2006)
McInerney, Jay. The Good Life (2006)
Joseph O’Neill. Netherland (2009)
Films:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Dir. Stephen Daldry (2011)
The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Dir. Mira Nair (2012)
Course Readings:
There will be a course reader available on Moodle.
This class will start on October 28, 2015. |
