ENGL 7800 Studies in Critical Theory
The Rhetoric of Affect
Instructor: Kathryn
Pratt
Sections: 3:30-6:10 T
Hours: 3
Description:
"Rhetoric" and "affect"
are two of the hottest words in English Studies, but how can we construct adequate
definitions of these terms amidst their varied and often vague usages in academic
writing? In this course, we will work to develop practical (and potentially
publishable) paradigms of style and emotion with which to interpret and re-understand
literature. We will read two "novels of affect," Emma Donoghue’s
Slammerkin (2001) and Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred
Years of Solitude (1969). Readings in theory will include works by Aristotle,
Kant, Nietzsche, Freud, Wittgenstein, Foucault, Fuss, Nussbaum, Agamben and
some recent works in the philosophy of mind and
cognitive science.
Requirements: seminar discussion, 2 class presentations, 18-20 page paper (presented in shorter draft form at midterm).
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Last updated October 7, 2004