English 310 - Animals in Novels

This course examines how contemporary global novels employ animals to explore the limits of humanity and human community.  As globalization creates intersecting networks of production and communication across borders, many recent novelists foreground human-animal relations alongside their depictions of contemporary global reality.  Why should they choose to include animals in their visions of a global society?  What may be the connection between the lives of animals and globalization?  Reading a selection of philosophical and theoretical texts alongside contemporary Anglophone novels from around the world, the course examines the wide-ranging representations of animals as companion species, radical Other, food and commercial products, victims of environmental disasters and geopolitical changes, or reminders of our innocent origin.  Possible authors include J.M. Coetzee, Ruth L. Ozeki, Indra Sinha, Zakes Mda, Mahasweta Devi, Lydia Millet, Lauren Beukes, and Linda Hogan; possible theoretical texts include those by Giorgio Agamben, Jacques Derrida, and Donna Haraway.

Limited to 25 students.  Fall semester.  Visiting Professor Huang.