Time Schedule:
Marianne T Stecher Hansen
SCAND 462
Seattle Campus
The fiction of Isak Dinesen (pseudonym for Karen Blixen) reevaluated in light of current issues in literary criticism, particularly feminist criticism. Close readings of selected tales, essays, and criticism. Offered: jointly with WOMEN 462.
Class description
How are Western representations of Africa constructed? How are colonial and postcolonial Africa represented in literature and film? Where are the borders between conventional ‘imperialist’ literary representations, such as Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, and later texts, such as those by Danish writer Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen), Out of Africa (1938) and Shadows on the Grass (1962)? A central focus of the course will be representations of race and gender and reflections on colonialism in Out of Africa and in related literary tales, essays, letters, and paintings by Karen Blixen. This course also includes essays by Edward Said and selected critics, in addition to films by Sydney Pollack and Leni Riefenstahl. Students will be encouraged to develop their own observations on the texts in short, non-graded writing assignments or “response letters.” Student Learning Objectives: 1. To gain a knowledge of the “African oeuvre” of Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen) in biographical, cultural, historical, literary and political contexts. 2. To develop a vocabulary for the study of literary representations of race and gender. 3. To exercise tools for literary analysis and to improve interpretative skills for discussing and writing about literary and cinematic works. 4. To develop the skills of inquiry-driven research and scholarship
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Method of instruction is student-centered and active. Course engages students in integrated writing assignments which enhance student-instructor communication as well as the student learning experience. Lectures and structured small group discussions are also part of the instructional method. The presentation of the material and the assignments are inquiry-driven. A number of exercises are also specifically designed to foster the development of the skills of research and scholarship.
Recommended preparation
The course is geared for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in Humanities and Social Sciences, including European Studies, Scandinavian Studies, Women Studies and related fields.
Required Texts: 1. Course Reader (at AVE Copy)* 2. Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness 3. Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen), Out of Africa and Shadows on the Grass 4. Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen), Seven Gothic Tales (selections)
Recommended (Not required): 5. Isak Dinesen, Letters from Africa, 1914-1931 6. Isak Dinesen, Daguerreotypes and Other Essays.
ON RESERVE: Odegaard Undergraduate Library Secondary Sources for Research papers:
Colonialist/Post-colonialist Criticism and Theory: Gates, Henry Louis, Jr., ed. “Race,” Writing, and Difference. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 1985. [includes essays by Abdul JanMohamed and Edward Said] JanMohamed, Abdul R. Manichean Aesthetics: The Politics of Literature in Colonial Africa. Amherst: U of Massachusetts Press, 1983. Lewis, Simon. White Women Writers and Their African Invention. Gainesville: U Press of Florida, 2003. Said, Edward W. Culture and Imperialism. New York: Knopf, 1994.
History and Society of Colonial Africa: **Hochschild, Adam. King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. Kennedy, Dane. Islands of White: Settler Society and Culture in Kenya and Southern Rhodesia, 1890 – 1939. Durham: Duke U Press, 1987. Spear, Thomas. Kenya’s Past: An Introduction to Historical Method in Africa. London: Longman Group, 1981.
Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen)--Biographical Studies and Letters: Dinesen, Isak. Letters from Africa 1914 – 1931. Edited by Frans Lasson. Translated by Anne Born. Chicago: U of Chicago Press, 1981. Donelson, Linda. Out of Isak Dinesen in Africa—the untold story. Iowa City: Coulsong List, 1995. [Focus on Blixen’s relationships and health history] Lasson, Frans and Clara Svendsen. The Life and Destiny of Isak Dinesen. New York: Random House, 1970. [Photographic life story] Thurman, Judith. Isak Dinesen. The Life of a Storyteller. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1982. “Min afrikanske Verden” ‘My African Existence,’ edited by Marianne Wirenfeldt Asmussen. Rungstedlund: Karen Blixen Museet, 2004. [bilingual]
Class assignments and grading
Evaluation criteria: Grades will be based on course participation and the completion of integrated writing assignments. The principle assignment is the development of an interpretative essay, which relates in an original way to the overriding concerns of the course.
Note that Ad Hoc W (Writing) credit is available for this course. Students will engage in graded and non-graded writing assignments throughout the quarter. The final course grade will be based on the following criteria:
Grading Criteria: 10% Participation in class workshops, groups discussions, and class conference. 10% Midterm essay, in-class 10% Final essay, in-class
Course Portfolio: 50% Term paper, 8 – 12 pages (Sequenced assignment: proposal, peer-review, revision)
20% four non-graded response “letters” and 2-page self-assessment
