Lehrende: M. A. Janneke Rauscher
Veranstaltungsart: Proseminar
Orga-Einheit: FB02 / Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft (Institut)
Anzeige im Stundenplan: Literary Theory PS
Fach:
Anrechenbar für:
Semesterwochenstunden: 2
Unterrichtssprache: Englisch
Min. | Max. Teilnehmerzahl: - | -
Lehrinhalte: The use of mind-altering substances - be it as a cultural practice in religious rituals and rites of passages or for the private “kick” of getting high - has been practiced since the early days of mankind for various purposes. At least since the early 19th century, drug use, drug withdrawal and different experiences with states of intoxication have been covered in many literary works (e.g., Thomas de Quincey “Confessions of an English Opium-Eater” (1821/1822), Charles Baudelaire “Les paradis artificiels, opium et haschisch” (1860)). The topic “drugs in literature” is a widespread field, containing such different phenomena as authors who write about their own experience with drugs (like Hunter S. Thompson or William S. Burroughs), texts which are concerned with the role of drug (ab)use in a certain society or the possibility of control via administration through the state or other institutions (as, for example, used in many Science-Fiction novels). Focusing on literature of the 20th century the seminar will look at this topic from different directions and under different theoretical aspects. Starting with a brief cultural history of drugs and the theme of drug use by authors, the main part of the seminar will consist of the analysis and close reading of different novels (A.L. Kennedy “Paradise”; William S. Burroughs “Junky”; Hunter S. Thompson “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”; Irvine Welsh “Trainspotting”) and collages of texts in which different drugs and the state of intoxication play a main role and serve different purposes. The theoretical approaches will cover aspects of narratology, gender studies and cultural studies. Finally, we will also compare the depiction of drug use, (distorted) perception and intoxication across different media (literature and film). The theoretical essays and the text collages will be provided by a reader, an appointment for the film-analysis will follow during the seminar. Participants need to purchase the following novels: A.L. Kennedy (2006): Paradise; Vintage Contemporaries. ISBN-10: 1400079454 William S. Burroughs (2008): Junky; Penguin Modern Classics. ISBN-10: 0141189827 Hunter S. Thompson (2005): Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas; Harper Perennial Modern Classics. ISBN-10: 0007204493 Irvine Welsh (2004): Trainspotting; Vintage Books. ISBN-10: 0099465892
Literatur: Additional literature (available in the library): Martin Tauss 2005: Rausch Kultur Geschichte. Drogen in literarischen Texten nach 1945. Studien Verlag, Innsbruck. Marcus Boon 2005: The road of excess. Harvard University Press. Sadie Plant 2001: Writing on drugs. Faber & Faber. Mike Jay 2010: High Society: The Central Role of Mind-Altering Drugs in History, Science and Culture. Park Street Press.
Voraussetzungen: The willingness to read is a necessary precondition to participate in this seminar. Further requirements: regular attendance, active participation, preparation of one theoretical text, three essays (each 5 pages, to be written during the term).
