Genre and Race - Einzelansicht

The seminar will focus on a small set of genres (and specifically, US American examples) - weird fiction (horror/sf), the slave narrative, and the plantation romance - and discuss how the respective generic conventions are deeply entangled with ideas of race, yet at the same time questioning such ideas by looking at/suggesting texts that contradict commonplaces about race and genre.

After discussing each genre,participants are asked to fulfill a small writing assignement (three in total) for which an extra time slot in our syllabus is provided.

Secondary literature will be supplied on moodle. Please be aware that in order to discuss a topic like genre effectively, reading of literary works from the respective genres is required (4 short stories, 3 novellas, and excerpts from novels are assigned, more is encouraged). This is explicitly a course of literature nerds/book worms etc.

Primary reading:

Craft, William. Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom; or, the Escape of William and Ellen Craft from Slavery. avialable online.

Hentz, Caroline. The Planter's Northern Bride. available online.

Loveraft, H.P. "The Horror of Red Hook"; "The Call of Cthulhu" available online.

Khaw, Cassandra. Hammers on Bone. Please purchase a copy in advance.

LaValle, Victor. The Ballad of Black Tome. Please purchase a copy in advance. ! Both books are available in this collection: https://publishing.tor.com/reimagininglovecraftfourtorcomnovellas-victorlavalle/9781250167071/

The seminar will focus on a small set of genres - weird fiction (horror/sf), the slave narrative, and the plantation romance - and discuss how the respective generic conventions are deeply entangled with ideas of race, yet at the same time questioning such ideas by looking at/sugesting texts that contradict commonplaces about race and genre.

Three short writing assignments (max. a page, each), written over the course of the term; you will receive feedback and get a chance to resubmit by July 19.