Comparative Literature 391CA - S-On Cannibalism

The question we will address in this course is not so much whether cannibalism as a practice really existed (or still exists), but the fascination this topic has exerted on people?s minds. The purpose of the course is twofold: first, to introduce the student to the study of the textual and iconographic representations of American ?cannibalism? from the 16th century until the present: chronicles, literature, legal discourses on the one hand, and map sheets, single drawings, book illustrations and films on the other. The second objective will be to discuss the research produced by literary critics, anthropologists and within colonial/postcolonial studies during the last two decades on cannibalism as a trope and as a discursive practice within colonialist discourse.