MLU
Seminar: VM Amerik. Lit II / Angl. Litwiss: Literature Between Art and Activism: T.C. Boyle's /A Friend of the Earth/ - Details
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Veranstaltungsname Seminar: VM Amerik. Lit II / Angl. Litwiss: Literature Between Art and Activism: T.C. Boyle's /A Friend of the Earth/
Untertitel Literature Between Art and Activism: T.C. Boyle's /A Friend of the Earth/
Semester WS 2017/18
Aktuelle Anzahl der Teilnehmenden 3
erwartete Teilnehmendenanzahl 20
Heimat-Einrichtung Amerikanistik / Literaturwissenschaft
Veranstaltungstyp Seminar in der Kategorie Offizielle Lehrveranstaltungen
Erster Termin Donnerstag, 12.10.2017 14:15 - 15:45
Studiengänge (für) MA Angloamerikanische Literatur, Sprache und Kultur 120 LP
MA Englische Sprache und Literatur 45/75 LP
LAG, LAS, LAF
LAG, LAS, LAF (ab WS 2012/13)
MA Angloamerikanische Literatur, Sprache und Kultur 120 LP (ab WS 2015/16)
MA Englische Sprache und Literatur 45/75 LP (ab WS 2015/16)
SWS 2
Sonstiges ANG.03210.01
ANG.03927.01
ANG.03929.02
ANG.03934.02
ANG.04630.02
ECTS-Punkte 5

Räume und Zeiten

Keine Raumangabe
Donnerstag: 14:15 - 15:45, wöchentlich(15x)

Modulzuordnungen

Kommentar/Beschreibung

T. C. Boyle is a bestselling novelist and short fiction writer whose work has been praised for its quirky characters, unexpected and often bizarre situations, and his stylized prose. Several of his novels take their cue from historical characters and events, and many of his texts satirize human hypocrisy, self-indulgent materialism, self-importance and other ills and foibles of society.

A number of his publications are devoted to the natural environment, an issue which, as he confessed in an interview, "obsesses" him. Boyle, a recipient of the Henry David Thoreau award for excellence in nature writing (2014), is concerned about a world in which humans are confronted by a multitude of threats and dangers, but he attempts to find a counterweight to an entirely gloomy worldview. "What sustains me, mentally," he said in an 2016 interview [ . . . ] is nature and my art."

Set in the year 2025, /A Friend of the Earth/ tells the story of Tyrone Tierwater and his attempts to deal with a world endangered and then transformed by the effects of climate change. As Boyle interweaves Tierwater's personal history with environmental changes, he invites his readership to reflect on the consequences that follow from the personal, economic, and political decisions that people make. Although it was published in the year 2000, the novel is, as a reviewer stated in December 2016, "more timely today than ever. In an era of climate crisis, the continued expansion of the fossil fuel industry, and the election of a US President hell-bent on destroying what piecemeal environmental protections currently exist, there is much about this novel that resonates deeply. "

Prospective participants are expected to have purchased and read a copy of the book by the beginning of term. Although there is currently no scholarly edition that I can recommend for purchase, it is important that all students have access to a printed reading copy of the text. Students are also strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves in advance with the general aspects of this subject. They must be prepared to participate actively in class and to commit themselves to weekly reading and writing assignments. To receive full credit for this class (5 CP), students will have to produce a "Hausarbeit." More information about the specific requirements will be announced in the first class session. A summary of the main requirements has been placed in the folder "Dateien" in Stud.IP.

Please use Stud.IP to register for this class. ILIAS will be used as an online communications platform during the semester. Make sure that you have access to it, and enroll as soon as this specific webspace has been opened (look under "Lernobjekte").

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