– Summer 2024
PS: A Journey Through Fantasy: The Hobbit and Philosopher’s Stone
Fantasy is a genre full of variety and surprises. It offers its readers countless different worlds that seemingly deviate widely from our known reality. Hence, the genre as a whole tends to be belittled as pure escapism of questionable literary worth. This seminar aims at doing away with such prejudices by treating two widely beloved classics of modern fantasy literature: J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbitand J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. From structural questions – classical topoi of fantasy literature can be linked back to ancient myths and folktales – all the way up to environmentalist implications, we will study these works through a variety of lenses to highlight the multi-faceted nature of the genre.
AS: Literature
Building on the knowledge acquired in Grundseminar Literature, this class serves as an introduction to literary theory. We will discuss several approaches and methods in depth and critically analyze their potential and limits by applying them to exemplary primary texts. In doing so, we will also reflect on how these different approaches and methods impact our understanding of literature.
– Winter 2023/2024
PS: 18th-Century Woman’s “delicate […] reputation“: Frances Burney’s Evelina
The 18th century was a time of many changes and upheavals in England. Revolutions were sparked across the globe, human rights renegotiated, capitalism gained its footing. This seminar will be an introduction to the period by focusing on the first novel of an important female writer of the late 18th century, Evelina by Frances Burney (1778). Frequently reduced to the position of Jane Austen’s “predecessor”, Burney’s oeuvre is deeply concerned with the position of women at her time, their chances and restrictions as individuals. Following a young and naïve heroine as she navigates the currents of a patriarchal class society, the novel treats such varied themes as gendered education, sexual violence, and capitalism. This seminar deep dives into the novel and looks at the late 18th century in general to discuss the potential readings of Burney’s novel.
AS: Literature
Building on the knowledge acquired in Grundseminar Literature, this class serves as an introduction to literary theory. We will discuss several approaches and methods in depth and critically analyze their potential and limits by applying them to exemplary primary texts. In doing so, we will also reflect on how these different approaches and methods impact our understanding of literature.
– Summer 2023
AS: Literature
Building on the knowledge acquired in Grundseminar Literature, this class serves as an introduction to literary theory. We will discuss several approaches and methods in depth and critically analyze their potential and limits by applying them to exemplary primary texts. In doing so, we will also reflect on how these different approaches and methods impact our understanding of literature.
AS: Literature
Building on the knowledge acquired in Grundseminar Literature, this class serves as an introduction to literary theory. We will discuss several approaches and methods in depth and critically analyze their potential and limits by applying them to exemplary primary texts. In doing so, we will also reflect on how these different approaches and methods impact our understanding of literature.
Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main
– Winter 2022/2023
PS: Jane Austen’s Emma
Jane Austen’s courtship novels are monuments of English literature and have contributed much to the novel as a literary form. In this seminar we will subject one of her most witty novels to close examination: Published in 1815, it follows a highly privileged heroine who is at the top of her local hierarchy. This allows Austen to utilise the courtship plot, a conventional form of the period, to explore themes such as gender and power. The seminar will accordingly analyse how these themes are treated in the novel and how they can be placed in relation to contemporary discourses and developments. As Austen’s works are enduring parts of popular culture and frequently adapted in various forms, we will also examine the novel’s lasting influence through the newest adaptation, the 2020 movie Emma starring Anya Taylor-Joy.
– Summer 2022
PS: 18th-Century Woman’s “delicate […] reputation”: Frances Burney’s Evelina