N. Boutilier (Rhetoric and Composition)
4 HU, WRi, 4 Hours
Fall Semester FYSP 183-01 MWF 10:00-10:50/FYSP 183-02 MWF 11:00-11:50
From the bloody battles recorded in Homer’s war epic The Illiad to the grim story of WWII resistance told in Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel Maus and beyond, war and its aftermath have been subjects of literature throughout the ages. Why are war stories so central to so many cultures? How does one tell the unspeakable? What can we learn from the ways that language is used to represent, romanticize, or renounce war? In this seminar, we will explore how various literary genres present the experience of, resistance to, and recovery from violent human conflict. We will explore how writers address individual human experiences of war in relation to the social, historical, and political meanings associated with it. Readings will be drawn from the classics, as well as more contemporary literature, including but not limited to Homer’s Illiad, Regeneration (Pat Barker), Maus (Art Speigelman), The Things They Carried (Tim O’Brien), The Fifth Book of Peace (Maxine Hong Kingston), and A Long Way Gone (Ishmael Beah). Students will write several short analytical essays as well as one longer essay that incorporates research, literary analysis, and personal reflection.