ENGL 358
The Myth of Venice and its Modern Aftermath
Last Offered Spring 2018
Division I
Cross-listed GBST 356 / COMP 356
This course is not offered in the current catalog

Class Details

The Republic of Venice existed for over a millennium, during which time its historical image came to be enmeshed with mythical representations, such as the image of the city rising out of the waters of the lagoon, or the personification of the city itself as a Queen of the Adriatic. This course begins in the year 1797, at the end of the Republic, and the emergence of an extensive body of literature centered on Venice and its mythical facets. Readings will include Romantic views of Venice and the 20th century reshaping of the literary myth surrounding the city. A journey into this fascinating tradition will shed light on how the literary and visual representation of Venice, rather than the focus on a nostalgic evocation of the death of the Republic, became a premise of exploration for literary modernity. Toward the end of the course we will leave the lagoon to explore the postmodern recreations of Venice around the world (from Los Angeles and Las Vegas, to Macao, Yongin, and beyond) Readings will include excerpts from Byron’s Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, John Ruskin’s Stones of Venice, as well as full readings of Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice, Marinetti’s Futurist manifestos, Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities, and more. We will also examine movies, such as Luchino Visconti’s Senso and Death in Venice and Nicholas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now. This course is offered in English; all texts are provided in translation.
The Class: Format: seminar
Limit: 20
Expected: 10
Class#: 3999
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: mini-papers, one individual presentation, mini-presentations, midterm, participation, final project
Prerequisites: familiarity with modern aesthetics such as romanticism, modernism and postmodernism is desirable
Enrollment Preferences: Comparative Literature majors
Unit Notes: COMP core course
Distributions: Division I
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
ENGL 358 Division I GBST 356 Division II COMP 356 Division I

Class Grid

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