English 44 - Summer Sessions I, 2020

Introductory Topics in Fiction

Topic: Island Worlds

Class Information

Instructor: Hogue, Rebecca
CRN: 53732
Time: MW 2:10-4:40

Description

This course traces the literary representation of islands, oceans, and archipelagos from seafaring adventure stories to contemporary environmental justice activisms. Are there more to islands than tropical paradises or exotic vacations? Along the way we will explore a number of island tropes and themes: the deserted island; island as laboratory; adventure and fantasy; navigation and exploration; climate change; Indigenous histories; and oceanic futures. We will read short fiction, novels, serials, and graphic fiction, including authors from Tonga, Aotearoa (New Zealand), the Aleutian Islands, the Greater Antilles, Great Britain, Turtle Island, and Hawai'i.

Texts

Tales of the Tikongs , Epeli Hau'ofa
Flying Fox in a Freedom Tree, Albert Wendt
Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe
Typee, Herman Melville
Gun Island , Amitav Ghosh
Potiki, Patricia Grace
Polyfantastica, Solomon Enos