English 624-001
Seminar in Modern Literature: Dangerous Fictions
Instr: Puskar, Jason
Office: CRT 585; 229-4517
e-mail: puskar@uwm.edu
Office hours: TBA
Course Information: MW; 12:30-1:45pm; CRT 466
Course Description
This course studies modern American fiction's interest in risk and danger, often in novels thought to be dangerous themselves. From violent crime to modern warfare, industrial accidents to infectious disease, American novels have a history of seeking out danger, and many of the books that did so were condemned and sometimes banned. Authors include William Faulkner, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Richard Wright, James Cain, and Don DeLillo. We will pay special attention to the cultural history of certain kinds of dangers, including crime, natural disasters, and riots. We also will read these novels in relation to recent theories of risk and danger from a variety of disciplines, ranging from anthropology to philosophy. Some questions to be asked: Is fiction more or less dangerous because it is "not true"? How does American culture construct risks and dangers through language? How can we understand the relationship of literature to modern institutions of risk analysis and risk management? This course requires students to complete a guided research project.
