The Idea of Europe: The Contemporary European Novel

The Idea of Europe: The Contemporary European Novel is a Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies class taught by Alicia Ellis.

Course Description
Readings in the works of twentieth-century authors, who, in very different ways, challenge the conventional ways in which Europe is identified and understood by its constituents. Particular attention is paid to a sense of a shared transnational European identity, the theorization of political, cultural and sexual spaces, themes of historical memory, postcolonial legacies and the negotiation of multiculturalism. In addition, we will explore the relationship between the margin and the center, the layered structure of violence and the articulation of a unique European self whose boundaries are fluid, defiant and contested. Focus will be on close readings of text. Authors may include but are not limited to Jelinek, Mulisch, Ransmayr, Houellebecq, Ishiguro, Kureishi and Winterson. Prerequisite: One prior literature course.