Instructor: Mary Wermuth
Course Time: MW 5:30-7:17
General Education: Literature
Term: Winter 2013
DESCRIPTION
Heroes: Past, Present, Future looks at one of the most misunderstood aspects of our literature. Whether discussing Greek gods, cowboys, futuristic sci-fi characters, or ordinary people, students rarely have a concrete definition and understanding of the main character who is often called the hero. This course will present the opportunity to develop a meaningful definition of hero and to analyze the qualities of the different types of heroes in literature and life—novels, plays, movies, short stories, myths, comics and more. From the readings, films, and discussions students can discern whether characters and real people (maybe like those in ‘reality shows’) support their new found qualities of hero. Prof. Wermuth promises lively debate and a rather wide variety of reading/viewing assignments.
TEXTS
Suggested Reading List:
- Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces (selected readings)
- Selections from collections of world mythologies
- Frye, Northrop. Anatomy of Criticism (selected readings)
- Poe, Edgar A. Selected Short Stories
- Malory, Sir Thomas. Le Morte d’Artur
- Miller, Arthur. “Tragedy and the Common Man”
- Galloway, David. The Absurd Hero in American Literature (selected readings)
- Hemingway, Ernest. The Sun Also Rises
- Crane, Stephen. The Blue Hotel
- Shakespeare, William. Titus Andronicus
- Watterson, Bill. Calvin and Hobbes
- Kelly, Walt. Pogo
- Lucas, George. "Star Wars”
- Stevens, George. “Shane”
And other films, short literature, poetry as students and professor suggest/decide as necessary to enrich class discussion.