Comparative Literature

The course interprets 15 American and British suspense short stories, analyzing the literary technique, theories, thematic construction, and especially psychological construction within, in order to nurture the literary appreciation of western literary works. The course also discusses the difference between literary techniques and thematic concerns between the short story and film.

While the pursuit of happiness is an ideal present in many Western cultures, for the French, happiness takes various forms: a certain joie de vivre, an appreciation of life’s simple pleasures, and an affinity for companionship. Why is it, then, that France is consistently ranked as one of the least happy countries in Europe according to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE)? The French may be known as contentious grumblers who are prone to flights of melancholy and often embroil themselves in gloomy philosophical reflection. And yet, the deeply-ingrained cultural desire to live a full life and find happiness is undeniably a major concern for the French. This course explores representations of happiness in French cultural production, with an emphasis on the city of Paris. Through the study of socio-cultural and historical events as well as critical, literary, and cinematic texts, students explore how the concept of happiness manifests itself in unique ways throughout recent history and in diverse social worlds. From the nineteenth century to the present, happiness has taken many forms: material seduction, consumer delight, everyday bliss, personal independence. The course explores how authors and filmmakers encourage us to reflect on a deceptively simple question: What is happiness and where can we find it? Is happiness to be found in the people and things that surround us, or are we to find it within ourselves?

The study offers a study of poetry in English from various cultures and periods designed to promote an understanding of how poetry works and competence in practical criticism.

This course examines Japanese short fiction in the modern period, by focusing on texts containing encounters between representatives of Japan and what lies beyond its shores. These encounters are not confined to meetings between individuals but also includes a "meeting of minds" when the protagonist or the text itself can be seen to have engaged with something from beyond Japan. 

All texts are discussed on the basis of their English-language translations and the language of discussion is English. However, the original Japanese texts are available and native speakers of Japanese are particularly encouraged to use their knowledge of the original language to contribute to the discussion.

This course not only focuses on literature study but also serves as a critical guide to various thoughts that troubled modern people. The course explores how the industrial revolution, the World Wars, the Cold War, Feminism, Post-colonialism, gender liberation, and concurrent globalization has transformed the English-speaking world. Has the core of humanity changed? How do tradition and modernity contradict one another and in what way are they compromised? To what extent do modern arts push our tolerance of ethics further? Does the British Empire still exist in one form or another? Do globalization and modernity transform our culture fundamentally or only reshuffle it? How do intellectuals—not just creative writers—promote, manipulate, or hinder these exciting but unsettling changes?

This course surveys Asian North American literature and criticism. Given their similar immigration policies and cultural specificities, North America here includes Canada and the U.S.A., and Asia here is understood as East Asia as South(east) Asia has another complicated British/European colonial history. Since this is an introductory class in nature, students read the excerpts and a long novel from major works from the late 19th century to the present. While discerning the broad scope of Asian American literature as a whole, the course emphasizes the recurring themes, the bi-cultural contexts in which these writers wrote, and their literary experimentation and innovation over the time. To supplement readings of literary texts, students examine selected works of criticism, history, and social sciences. As heterogeneity is a crucial concept in defining the umbrella term “Asian American,” an important goal is to understand Asian North Americans as diverse groups and individuals given their different historical and cultural backgrounds. The course covers both East Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Eurasian) and North American (American and Canadian) writers, and also attempts to cover all genres (short story, poetry, fiction, prose, graphics) to give the students a panoramic view of the “heterogeneity” in this quite established discipline.