The Photographic Image in Literature

elective courses

Classroom

Course for MA level students.

The aim of this course is to acquaint students with concepts and interpretative tools needed for an academic analysis of the ‘presence’ of the photographic image in literature, either in the form of ekphrasis or an inclusion of photographs within a literary and/or documentary text.

Course for MA level students.

The aim of this course is to acquaint students with concepts and interpretative tools needed for an academic analysis of the ‘presence’ of the photographic image in literature, either in the form of ekphrasis or an inclusion of photographs within a literary and/or documentary text. Selected examples from British, Canadian, American, and world literature will serve as the starting point for a discussion on the structural, aesthetic and ideological uses of the photograph in literature. The aim of this course is an analysis of the diverse meanings written into (both) the description of the image (ekphrasis), as well as the inclusion of images within a narrative in comparison to the cognitive, affective and ideological impact of literary and documentary discourse. What forms of interdependence are constructed between the image and the word in literary texts? Why do authors choose so often to refer to and/or include photographic images in their narratives?

Primary sources:

Graham Swift Out of This World

Pat Barker Double Vision

Rachel Seiffert The Dark Room

David Macfarlane The Danger Tree

Michael Ondaatje The Collected Works of Billy the Kid

Jonathan Safran Foer Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

W. G. Sebald The Emigrants

Ryszard Kapuściński Shah of Shahs

(selected) Secondary sources:

Liz Wells (red.) The Photography Reader (London and New York: Routledge, 2003)

Therese Mulligan and David Wooters (red.) A History of Photography (London and Los Angeles: Taschen, 2005)

Roland Barthes, Camera Lucida (London: Vintage, 2000)

Susan Sontag,On Photography, Regarding the Pain of Others (London: Penguin Books, 2003)

Nancy Armstrong Fiction in the Age of Photography (Cambridge, Massachusetts and London, England: Harvard University Press, 1999)

Students acquire the ability to analyze and use critical theories for the interpretation of the photographic image versus narration in the context of the literary text.

In class discussions students acquire skills of expressing their thoughts in a clear, coherent, logical and precise manner, with the use of language which is correct grammatically, lexically and phonetically.

Knowledge: the graduate will be able to

K_W01 Identify and characterize on an advanced level the place and status of literary and culture studies within the humanities

K_W02 Describe on an advanced level the current trends in literary and cultural studies research within English studies

K_W04 Characterize on an advanced level the principles of research design in literary and culture studies with special focus on the application of methods and tools in formulating research problems

K_W05 identify the notions and principles pertinent to intellectual property and copyright

Abilities: the graduate is able to

K_U01 Apply advanced terminology and notions pertinent to the discipline (literary studies)

K_U02 Apply advanced research methodology within literary and culture studies and English studies, respecting ethical norms and copyright law

K_U03 Apply knowledge obtained during the course of studies to account for and solve a problem, thereby completing a research task related to the discipline of literary studies

K_U04 Analyze linguistic, literary and cultural phenomena and draw generalizations on their basis in the context of societal, historical and economic factors on an advanced level

K_U05 Discern alternative methodological paradigms within a discipline

K_U06 Find information in various sources and critically assess its usefulness for research related to the topic of the MA project

Social competences: the graduate is ready to

K_K02 Apply knowledge and skills obtained during the course of studies to undertake lifelong learning, as well as personal and professional development

K_K03 Take responsibility for performing one’s professional duties, with due respect for the work of others, obey and develop the ethical norms in professional and academic settings related to the disciplines included on the curriculum of English studies

K_K04 Assess critically one’s own knowledge and skills related to the studies

K_K06 Value cultural heritage and cultural diversity as well as individual opinions

20% of absences is allowed.

Final grade on the basis of an academic essay.

Retake on the basis of a revised version of the academic essay.