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SoSe 13: 'What's with the Ghosts'

Janna Odabas

Kommentar

Title: "What's with the Ghosts?" - Reading Contemporary Ethnic Literature Ghosts have been a prominent motif in ethnic literature since the 1970s, when Maxine Hong Kingston's memoir The Woman Warrior sparked an interest in these figures. However, critics have often viewed them as simple ethnic ornamentation that adds exotic flavor to the narratives. While this is true to a point - after all, Kingston's memoir was the first book by an Asian American author to gain larger public attention, the ghost figures call for a more nuanced analysis. What exactly do they add to a narrative? In this seminar, we will focus on these in-between figures, which are neither dead nor alive, neither absent nor present. We will discuss current theoretical engagements with the topic, such as psychoanalytical and deconstructive approaches. Throughout the semester, we will engage with different readings of ghost figures. Do ethnic ghosts haunt American literature at large? How convincing are feminist interpretations of ghosts as authorizing the female voice? How do ghosts relate to ethnicity and memory? Why and how do ghost figures influence questions of genre? We will discuss these questions on the basis of secondary sources as well as excerpts from novels by African American, Asian American and Native American authors. We will read two novels in full length, so please buy and read Toni Morrison's Beloved (Vintage, 2005 edition) and Heinz Insu Fenkl's Memories of My Ghost Brother. Ghosts have been a prominent motif in ethnic literature since the 1970s, when Maxine Hong Kingston's memoir The Woman Warrior sparked an interest in these figures. However, critics have often viewed them as simple ethnic ornamentation that adds exotic flavor to the narratives. While this is true to a point - after all, Kingston's memoir was the first book by an Asian American author to gain larger public attention, the ghost figures call for a more nuanced analysis. What exactly do they add to a narrative? In this seminar, we will focus on these in-between figures, which are neither dead nor alive, neither absent nor present. We will discuss current theoretical engagements with the topic, such as psychoanalytical and deconstructive approaches. Throughout the semester, we will engage with different readings of ghost figures. Do ethnic ghosts haunt American literature at large? How convincing are feminist interpretations of ghosts as authorizing the female voice? How do ghosts relate to ethnicity and memory? Why and how do ghost figures influence questions of genre? We will discuss these questions on the basis of secondary sources as well as excerpts from novels by African American, Asian American and Native American authors. We will read two novels in full length, so please buy and read Toni Morrison's Beloved (Vintage, 2005 edition) and Heinz Insu Fenkl's Memories of My Ghost Brother. Schließen

14 Termine

Regelmäßige Termine der Lehrveranstaltung

Di, 10:00 - 12:00 14 Termine

Di, 09.04.2013 10:00 - 12:00

Dozenten:
Janna Odabas