FFS 131 - Questions of Character

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

(Same as CLCS 131) In the mid-twentieth century, many American and European writers and critics began insisting that we treat fictional characters as strictly textual entities. Characters, they declared, are mere words on a page, not psychological beings capable of agency. Accordingly, many literature professors discouraged students from discussing a fictional character as if it were a real person. Inspired by new debates in the humanities, the course considers our engagement with characters a topic worthy of exploration. What prompts us to care about characters as if they were persons? What incites us to judge their moral or practical choices? Can examining our responses to fictional characters help us understand the workings of a text? Can it help us understand our own “character”: what we care about or struggle with, or how we apprehend the world? To pursue these questions, we examine a variety of texts that may include short stories (American, British, French, Haitian), a film and a play. Because this is a first-year writing seminar, the course emphasizes writing in connection with other activities: close reading, discussion, revision, peer review, and the exploration of secondary texts representing a variety of disciplinary approaches. Kathleen Hart.

Open only to first-year students; satisfies the college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar.

All readings and discussions are in English.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS