Comparative Literature 131 - Brave New World

This course explores a selection of works of dystopian and utopian fiction and may include examples from film, television, and other media, in addition to literature. An important part of this exploration will be to consider the relationship between this imaginative fiction and the real world conditions which may have prompted it. We will also discuss what these texts have to offer us as warnings for our own society or ideas for a better future. In particular, we will analyze power relations and evaluate who benefits and who suffers, who is included and who is excluded from real and imagined social structures. Readings may include works by authors such as Aldous Huxley, Margaret Atwood, George Orwell, and Octavia Butler. (Gen. Ed. AL, DG)