Proseminar: Swift vs. Defoe: Humanity, Society, and the Individual - Details

Proseminar: Swift vs. Defoe: Humanity, Society, and the Individual - Details

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Veranstaltungsname Proseminar: Swift vs. Defoe: Humanity, Society, and the Individual
Semester WS 2019/20
Aktuelle Anzahl der Teilnehmenden 10
maximale Teilnehmendenanzahl 25
Heimat-Einrichtung Englische Literaturwissenschaft
Veranstaltungstyp Proseminar in der Kategorie Lehre
Erster Termin Dienstag, 22.10.2019 14:00 - 15:30, Ort: (D, 1087a)
Voraussetzungen *EAS-1411*:
If you are allotted to this course you will automatically be signed up for the corresponding Übung "Narrative Analysis" (Thursdays, 17:30-19:00). Be sure to keep this slot free in your timetable.


*EAS-1412*
If you are wrongly allotted to the Übung, please make sure to sign out of it, in order to open up the slot for your fellow students.
Leistungsnachweis Short response paragraphs
Final Research Essay (5000 words) or Portfolio
Veranstaltung findet online statt / hat Remote-Bestandteile Ja
Hauptunterrichtssprache englisch
Sonstiges *EAS-1411*:
If you are allotted to this course you will automatically be signed up for the corresponding Übung "Narrative Analysis" (Thursdays, 17:30-19:00). Be sure to keep this slot free in your timetable.

*EAS-1412*
If you are wrongly allotted to the Übung, please make sure to sign out of it, in order to open up the slot for your fellow students.

Räume und Zeiten

(D, 1087a)
Dienstag: 14:00 - 15:30, wöchentlich (14x)

Kommentar/Beschreibung

In Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe and in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels readers follow the adventures of the eponymous castaway protagonists on remote islands. From this shared starting point, however, Defoe’s 1719 novel and Swift’s 1726 satire develop into quite distinct narratives, offering diverging perspectives on some of Enlightenment’s most pressing questions: What is the role of the individual in society and what impact does society have on the individual? What does it mean to be human? Is mankind destined to rule the world? Are some societies destined to rule (and civilise) others? What is the right balance between reason, passion, and religious belief?

Besides the fact that Robinson cultivates a desert island whereas Gulliver encounters a series of highly developed societies, the two books differ considerably in their markedly dissimilar narrative styles and the unequal degrees of optimism and pessimism they display with regards to (scientific) progress, the capacities of human reason, and the essential goodness of human beings. To some extent, the two travel narratives are literary manifestations of the contrastive political, religious, and philosophical views of their rivalling authors. At the same time, however, they are independently valuable works of fiction which engage not only with historically specific political, social, and intellectual issues but with timeless questions revolving around conceptions of ‘human nature.’

In this seminar, we will analyse these two classics of world literature with a special focus on the views of society and mankind they express. It is essential for this purpose that students attentively read both novels and are prepared and willing to enter into informed discussions in class. To ensure this, one course requirement will be that students hand in a number of Reading Response Papers that will serve as basis for group discussions. A schedule including more details about course organisation and requirements will be made available before the course starts.

Anmelderegeln

Diese Veranstaltung gehört zum Anmeldeset "ELW/ ALW/ NELK: BA/ LA Aufbaumodul (Proseminar)".
Folgende Regeln gelten für die Anmeldung:
  • Die Anmeldung ist möglich von 03.09.2019, 00:00 bis 27.09.2019, 23:59.
  • Es wird eine festgelegte Anzahl von Plätzen in den Veranstaltungen verteilt.
    Die Plätze in den betreffenden Veranstaltungen wurden am 01.10.2019 um 23:59 verteilt. Weitere Plätze werden evtl. über Wartelisten zur Verfügung gestellt.
  • Diese Regel gilt von 03.09.2019 00:00 bis 27.09.2019 23:59.
    Die Anmeldung zu maximal 1 Veranstaltungen des Anmeldesets ist erlaubt.
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