Reading & Composition

The meaning of the terms “east” and “west” might seem self-evident at first, but on closer examination they raise many questions: Do they refer to specific regions of the globe, and if so, which ones? Are they, instead, descriptions of distinct types of culture? What do “eastern” and “western” cultures consist of? Where did our notions about the meanings of these terms originate? And what can literature and film tell us about the west, the east, and the relations between these two ideas? In this course we’ll delve into these questions and more by looking closely at a series of literary texts and films that challenge—and some that support—our initial ideas about what we mean by “east” and “west.” We’ll pay especially close attention to works that exist between the two poles: travelogues and narratives of immigration, Anglophone literature from India and other former European colonies, and “travelling” texts that have been translated and passed between cultures. Finally, we’ll consider what we use the categories “east” and “west” for, and whether we can imagine a world without them.

Since this an R&C course, its major aim is to help students develop their prowess as readers, writers, and thinkers. We’ll spend time learning tools for building effective analytical arguments as well as tactics for expressing those arguments clearly in writing. In addition to several essays over the course of the semester and reading or viewing assignments for each class, students can expect to complete regular short homework assignments as well as participate frequently in class discussions.

Possible texts and films include:
Jorge Luis Borges, “The Man on the Threshold”
Willa Cather, My Antonia
Simin Daneshvar, Savushun
Amitav Ghosh, The Shadow Lines
J. W. von Goethe, West-East Divan (selections)
Hafez of Shiraz, selections
Hamid Ismailov, The Railway
Rudyard Kipling, “The Man Who Would be King”
Montesquieu, Persian Letters (selections)
V. S. Naipaul, “Jack’s Garden”
Andrei Platonov, Dzhan
Satyajit Ray, Pather Panchali
Edward Said, Orientalism (selections)
William Shakespeare, Othello
Leo Tolstoy, Hadji Murat
Raoul Walsh, The Thief of Bagdad