ENGL 223(F) Voyages of Discovery+
Homer's Odyssey, Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and Captain Cook's Voyages to the South Seas share a narrative structure: in each, an individual or group leaves home for "new" worlds, landscapes that test the adventurer's capacity to suffer, survive, and, sometimes, conquer. This course will look at exemplary narratives of discovery, including literary works (for example, Odyssey, Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, Coetzee's Foe, and Selvon's The Lonely Londoners), a contemporary film, and non-fictional texts (The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, the African, Cook's Voyages, and slave and captivity narratives). Our discussions will examine the founding assumptions of these narratives: how does each represent "home," "the individual," the "new" world and its inhabitants, the value and aim of the journey? We will also speculate about the relation of these narratives to broader cultural projects like nation-building and colonial expansion. The course will simultaneously focus on developing students' critical skills. Requirements: several (4 or 5) short formal essays, including at least one revision; short informal writing assignments; and one group oral presentation. Prerequisite: a 100-level English course, except 150 (formerly 103). Enrollment limited to 19. Two sections.